Jobs, Government, and Economy Remain Top U.S. Problems

[Felya]

1. The American people are dumb. Like really dumb. You can bet that a poll showing what people are the most concerned about are going to largely reflect what's been on the media, and not so much what some of our most major problems are.

That's a bullshit lazy answer, that's no different than rhetoric Vyxn posts.

[Dsonsion]

1. The American people are dumb. Like really dumb. You can bet that a poll showing what people are the most concerned about are going to largely reflect what's been on the media, and not so much what some of our most major problems are.

Are they really that dumb? I think they may have been misled and taught falsehoods and strange lifestyles, but that can be fixed with some love and care, after the baby boomers hit the graves.

[Raeph]

Just finished looking at the recent Gallup Poll on the rankings of Issues in America



so Im asking why is it all the issues that democrats and the media want to continue to focus on like environment, immigration, race relation and gap between rich and poor when those issues don't even make it above 5% in importance

Going by popular outcry and mob rule is the worst way to run a society. This isn't to say that oligarchy or dictatorships are better either. Many people screaming and making no sense is no better than a few or one person screaming and making no sense.

On that list I fall into the 5% category, as I think education is something that needs to be our focus.

There have been a number of articles such as this (http://www.forbes.com/sites/susanada...uire-a-degree/) that stress the nature of the changing social and economic environment in the United States. They keep pointing to one thing repeatedly: employers are looking for better educated people who come into the position with a battery of useful skills, rather than looking into training those skills into their workforce, over a long period of time.

To quote:

“There’s no reason to believe that it’s going to go back to the time when it’s simply enough to have a degree,” says Dua. “We’ve entered a time when it’s necessary to have competencies in addition to the credential of a degree.”

We need a radical readjustment of education in the country to actually prepare people for jobs that are being created, rather than create people who's purpose is to be on an assembly which no longer exists.

Resolving education issues, in time granted, will resolve jobs issues (because graduates will have skills to do the jobs that employers are trying to fill), will resolve economic issues (because more people will be employed and will thereby be more productive and bring more money into the economy) and will resolve government issues (because we'll have more functional people in the society, who know how to be productive with learned skill sets, rather than have leaders who are leaches, bleeding a country dry so they can just be reelected to continue to do the same).

[Cthulhu 2020]

That's a bullshit lazy answer, that's no different than rhetoric Vyxn posts.

I said largely, not completely. When a significant portion of Americans still think we should be investigating Benghazi, investing time and money into it, is when I lose confidence in the opinions of that percent of the populace.

[Rukentuts]

I said largely, not completely. When a significant portion of Americans still think we should be investigating Benghazi, investing time and money into it, is when I lose confidence in the opinions of that percent of the populace.

The plurality doesn't even believe in global warming or evolution. That speaks volumes in itself about the educational state of the masses.

[usiris]

The plurality doesn't even believe in global warming or evolution. That speaks volumes in itself about the educational state of the masses.

Money in politics.

[Endus]

Shouldn't politicians and the media focus on what is important to the public and not what they want the public to focus on

No.

That's why the US is a representative republic rather than a true democracy, where citizens vote on each individual issue personally. Because the representatives are supposed to be better educated/informed than their constituents, and to act in their constitutents' best interests, even if it isn't what their constituents necessarily want.

[Vyxn]

No.

That's why the US is a representative republic rather than a true democracy, where citizens vote on each individual issue personally. Because the representatives are supposed to be better educated/informed than their constituents, and to act in their constitutents' best interests, even if it isn't what their constituents necessarily want.

It is a representative democracy. Politian's get elected to represent the interest of who they represent and if the are elected to work on jobs, economy, and government like the polls show is the publics priority but instead they work on what isn't the publics priority like envelopment race relations and immigration they are not doing what they was elected to do
I feel it is a poor condescending attitude of "we know what is best for you so we are going to do what we feel are the priories not what you feel should be the priorities"
like a parent child relationship and Im not for that type of government you seam to allude to

[ringpriest]

Just finished looking at the recent Gallup Poll on the rankings of Issues in America



so Im asking why is it all the issues that democrats and the media want to continue to focus on like environment, immigration, race relation and gap between rich and poor when those issues don't even make it above 5% in importance

Because the "1%" that own the government are satisfied with the present state of jobs, economy, and government. Environment, immigration, race relations and class warfare propaganda are only used to help prevent Americans from realizing that they don't actually live in a democracy. (The other issues are quite real, but their primary use in American politics is distraction and division; they're not treated as problems to be solved.)

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No.

That's why the US is a representative republic rather than a true democracy, where citizens vote on each individual issue personally. Because the representatives are supposed to be better educated/informed than their constituents, and to act in their constitutents' best interests, even if it isn't what their constituents necessarily want.

But, in practice, the representatives vote in the best interests of their campaign contributors, and not the public.

[Vyxn]

The media is a private entity. They need to make money.

Why are you trying to regulate what the media should focus on?

not trying to regulate anything just pointing out a mistake
maybe if stations like CNN and MSNBC would focus on what is important to the public, and not try to frame the narrative and discussion to what they want the public to focus on they would have better ratings like Fox News that do discuss and report on what the public sees as priorities

[Deleted]

not trying to regulate anything just pointing out a mistake
maybe if stations like CNN and MSNBC would focus on what is important to the public, and not try to frame the narrative and discussion to what they want the public to focus on they would have better ratings like Fox News that do discuss what the public sees as priorities

Did you just say the equivalent of "Fox is a non-biased, factual media outlet"?

I really hope you didn't, if you did that could be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read.

[Endus]

It is a representative democracy. Politian's get elected to represent the interest of who they represent and if the are elected to work on jobs, economy, and government like the polls show is the publics priority but instead they work on what isn't the publics priority like envelopment race relations and immigration they are not doing what they was elected to do

You're making the mistake of thinking people, on average, know what is in their own best interests.

They do not.

That is a large part of why modern democratic systems are representative in the first place. Because the representative will be better informed and better able to make the decisions as to what is in their constitutents' actual best interest, rather than what their constituents believe that to be.

It isn't about condescension or parent/child or any of that. If you (speaking of the constituency as a general whole, not you as an individual) were as well informed about the issues as your representative, you wouldn't need a representative.

[Elian]

to fix everything, you need to get money out of politics first.
95% of Republicans are corrupt and 85% of Democrats are corrupt.
both of them are the problem and not the solution.

[Vyxn]

You're making the mistake of thinking people, on average, know what is in their own best interests.

They do not.

That is a large part of why modern democratic systems are representative in the first place. Because the representative will be better informed and better able to make the decisions as to what is in their constitutents' actual best interest, rather than what their constituents believe that to be.

It isn't about condescension or parent/child or any of that. If you (speaking of the constituency as a general whole, not you as an individual) were as well informed about the issues as your representative, you wouldn't need a representative.

there is a difference between making decisions to fix a problem they was elected to fix and making decision on what is the priority of what needs to be fixed

a home owner knows he needs his house painted for what ever reason so he hires a painter to paint the house reason why he hires a painter is either he doesn't have the skills, the knowledge, the time, and or resources to do it himself but he knows his house needs to be painted it is a priority
he goes to work and when he comes home the painter paints the shed instead and tells the homeowner because I have the skills and knowledge of painting I decided to paint the shed instead I made that the priority. would that be satisfactory to you?

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Did you just say the equivalent of "Fox is a non-biased, factual media outlet"?

I really hope you didn't, if you did that could be one of the most ridiculous things I have ever read.

not claiming they are non bias. being non bias doesn't exist in the media
factual yes vast majority of the time it is what facts the present is what causes the bias

[Endus]

there is a difference between making decisions to fix a problem they was elected to fix and making decision on what is the priority of what needs to be fixed

You're repeating the same mistake.

Elected officials were elected to make the decisions about what needs to be fixed. And how to fix it.

a home owner knows he needs his house painted for what ever reason so he hires a painter to paint the house reason why he hires a painter is either he doesn't have the skills, the knowledge, the time, and or resources to do it himself but he knows his house needs to be painted it is a priority
he goes to work and when he comes home the painter paints the shed instead and tells the homeowner because I have the skills and knowledge of painting I decided to paint the shed instead I made that the priority. would that be satisfactory to you?

Except that isn't an accurate portrayal. You aren't hiring them for a service.

It's like you're hiring an accountant, to handle your finances. If you tell them you want to do X, and X is bad for you, you're paying your accountant to refuse, and explain why it's bad for you.

The same is true with elected officials. They are not there to solely pursue the topics at the top of the public consciousness. They'd do a piss-poor job if they did.

[Vyxn]

You're repeating the same mistake.

Elected officials were elected to make the decisions about what needs to be fixed. And how to fix it.



Except that isn't an accurate portrayal. You aren't hiring them for a service.

It's like you're hiring an accountant, to handle your finances. If you tell them you want to do X, and X is bad for you, you're paying your accountant to refuse, and explain why it's bad for you.

The same is true with elected officials. They are not there to solely pursue the topics at the top of the public consciousness. They'd do a piss-poor job if they did.

you alluding to a parent child relationship with government and the public and that is condescending and leads to tyrannical dictatorship

you might want that parent child type of relationship that government knows best and your just sheep following the directions of your master
just because you can elect your master doesn't make it any better

[Endus]

you alluding to a parent child relationship with government and the public and that is condescending and leads to tyrannical dictatorship

No, I'm not. I'm referring to a relationship where you hire a professional because you respect their training and knowledge, which you lack.

Nor does this lead to "tyrannical dictatorship". That's outright baseless fearmongering. The sky is not falling.

[Elegiac]

you alluding to a parent child relationship with government and the public and that is condescending and leads to tyrannical dictatorship

you might want that parent child type of relationship that government knows best and your just sheep following the directions of your master
just because you can elect your master doesn't make it any better

Which is funny because that was the relationship that the Founders created the Constitution on. The US government was designed to be undemocratic precisely because the framers did not trust the average person to be educated or intelligent enough to make informed decisions concerning government.

[Cthulhu 2020]

"We want more jobs! Give tax breaks to my employer so he can continue to cut my salary and I'll blame it on the Democrats while my employer gets filthy stinking rich!"

If your representative is elected to fix a problem, he's going to do it to the best of his knowledge the way he knows how. FOX News convinced you that cutting off your own foot is good for you, does that mean your representative should push for free foot amputations?

[Masark]

"We want more jobs! Give tax breaks to my employer so he can continue to cut my salary and I'll blame it on the Democrats while my employer gets filthy stinking rich!"

A CEO, a Tea Party member and union member sit at a table, with 12 cookies on a plate. The CEO grabs 10, leaves one each to the union member and the Tea Party member, and tells the Tea Party member, "You better watch him. He wants your cookie!".