peterms Posted September 16, 2013 Share Posted September 16, 2013 At least 12 dead in a shooting at the Washington Navy Yard. It's hard to understand how these mass killings continue to happen. You'd think they would find some foolproof way to find out about them before the event. Like, oh I don't know, maybe intercept every communication in the hope of finding some clues to forthcoming criminal actions? It would be a heavy price to pay, but if it stops these attacks, I'm sure people would be prepared to accept the curtailment of their freedom in this way. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 So what's all this 'shutdown' talk about? Sounds rather serious. I imagine Fox news are currently running a 'countdown to the shutdown' or something. Republicans playing silly buggers again? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bickster Posted September 30, 2013 Moderator Share Posted September 30, 2013 So what's all this 'shutdown' talk about? Sounds rather serious. I imagine Fox news are currently running a 'countdown to the shutdown' or something. Republicans playing silly buggers again?Further proof that America is far from a Democracy, when the Republicans can deliberately not vote for the budget unless the Democrats "delay" the Obamacare thing i.e. the cornerstone policy that Obama got re-elected on.Its also proof to me that a two house system in which political parties an be involved in both houses is moronic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 (edited) yep, the system is bollocksed. And I'm off to watch the west wing again to live in fantasy land. Republicans are basically insane - they are simply trying to stop everything Obama does full stop regardless. No respect for mandate - Obama president, not republicans! It is poison beyond poison over there and the system however nobly intended as been ruined by the presence of people. They aren't politicians, they've lost sight of any sense of collaborative rule and doing their jobs and instead consumed by hate for the other side. There are a few crazies everywhere, in all parties but honestly, the Republican / tea party element are a joke. They are overgrown children. I know there's always partisanship edit: additionally it is the kind of thing that makes me reflect on our coalition - flawed as it is - but hell at least we could do that. Though sometimes I wonder if we are going down that road. Edited September 30, 2013 by Rodders 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 One small step closer to the Balkanization of the USA. The federal government is a burden on the states. The people are not represented, banks and corporations are. It's a failed state in some respects. The model is broken. Being a New Englander, I'd love to jettison the Deep South and Bible Belt Red states and go it alone as a secular, progressive country of our own. Maybe in my lifetime... I hope. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 One small step closer to the Balkanization of the USA. The federal government is a burden on the states. The people are not represented, banks and corporations are. It's a failed state in some respects. The model is broken. Being a New Englander, I'd love to jettison the Deep South and Bible Belt Red states and go it alone as a secular, progressive country of our own. Maybe in my lifetime... I hope. The Two State Solution? Didn't the US support such a thing somewhere else once...can't quite put my finger on it... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 No, we need the intelligent Americans to keep the crazy Americans in check. Imagine a separate country of a few hundred million bible-bashers armed with nuclear weapons? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 No, we need the intelligent Americans to keep the crazy Americans in check. Imagine a separate country of a few hundred million bible-bashers armed with nuclear weapons? The Rapture! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drat01 Posted September 30, 2013 Share Posted September 30, 2013 Songs of praise would be interesting Sent from my iPhone using VillaTalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maqroll Posted September 30, 2013 Author Share Posted September 30, 2013 One small step closer to the Balkanization of the USA. The federal government is a burden on the states. The people are not represented, banks and corporations are. It's a failed state in some respects. The model is broken. Being a New Englander, I'd love to jettison the Deep South and Bible Belt Red states and go it alone as a secular, progressive country of our own. Maybe in my lifetime... I hope. The Two State Solution? Didn't the US support such a thing somewhere else once...can't quite put my finger on it... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rodders Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 shutdown achieved. Boehner et al are such utter cretins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Brilliant. US government shuts down. No more drones, spying on citizens, spying on friendly countries, destabilising other countries, fomenting wars... Oh. It seems it's more to do with closing some museums for a few days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFCforever1991 Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 And the National Zoo Panda Cam Will Be Turned Off Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Brilliant. US government shuts down. No more drones, spying on citizens, spying on friendly countries, destabilising other countries, fomenting wars... Oh. It seems it's more to do with closing some museums for a few days. Yep, just non-essential services, like parks, monuments, museums, *cough* pension/benefits payments *cough*, don't worry, anti-terrorism agencies are entirely unaffected. For **** sake America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Them Yanks don't want no Commie NHS!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarewsEyebrowDesigner Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 **** the poor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davkaus Posted October 1, 2013 Share Posted October 1, 2013 Meanwhile, the politicians who caused this mess keep earning theior salaries. **** the 800,000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterms Posted October 2, 2013 Share Posted October 2, 2013 Chris Hall @cshallwriter 30 Sep America was not shut down properly. Would you like to start America in safe mode, with free healthcare and without the guns? (Recommended) 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrDuck Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 Back in the 70s, Australia had a govt shut-down too. http://wapo.st/1aJAbsd The United States' self-imposed federal government shutdown has a way of making people around the world shake their heads in bewilderment. As Georgetown professor Erik Voeten wrote for The Washington Post's new Monkey Cage political science blog, "I cannot think of a single foreign analogy to what is happening in the U.S. today." But there actually is one foreign precedent: Australia did this once. In 1975, the Australian government shut down because the legislature had failed to fund it, deadlocked by a budgetary squabble. It looked a lot like the U.S. shutdown of today, or the 17 previous U.S. shutdowns. Australia's 1975 shutdown ended pretty differently, though, than they do here in America. Queen Elizabeth II's official representative in Australia, Governor General Sir John Kerr, simply dismissed the prime minister. He appointed a replacement, who immediately passed the spending bill to fund the government. Three hours later, Kerr dismissed the rest of Parliament. Then Australia held elections to restart from scratch. And they haven't had another shutdown since. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ender4 Posted October 3, 2013 Share Posted October 3, 2013 regarding the Aus shutdown, can the Prime Minister simply be dismissed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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