The GOP is in trouble...

[PC2]

The issue of "Don't pay people who don't work!" Logic is that if there is no work to be done what exactly are people supposed to do?

Use the internet to take free online classes, learn about STEM, innovate to make the world a better place.

[Theodarzna]

On the contrary, it's the essence of practical.

Practical only if full employment was a thing.

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Use the internet to take free online classes, learn about STEM, innovate to make the world a better place.

All of that is a bunch of platitudes, you might as well have said "GIT GUD!" or some other nonsense. There aren't 7 billion jobs, let alone jobs for every person in this country. Even if everyone were an almighty STEM-Lord up upon Mount Olympius you would have simply crashed the value of STEM which is already plummeting since H1B1 Visa's are a thing.

[PC2]

All of that is a bunch of platitudes, you might as well have said "GIT GUD!" or some other nonsense. There aren't 7 billion jobs, let alone jobs for every person in this country. Even if everyone were an almighty STEM-Lord up upon Mount Olympius you would have simply crashed the value of STEM which is already plummeting since H1B1 Visa's are a thing.

Exactly there are not 7 billion jobs, which is why we have welfare. The extra STEM people can still contribute to collective advancement, eventually new tech becomes cheap enough for even the poorer people in society.

[Theodarzna]

Exactly there are not 7 billion jobs, which is why we have welfare. The extra STEM people can still contribute to collective advancement, eventually new tech becomes cheap enough for even the poorer people in society.

If they have no jobs how do they buy ANY tech or fund any of these projects? More over that also assumes maximum interest and aptitude.

Having say 200 million people or more and assuming all of them will become great scientists, engineers or mathematicians is simply ludicrous. Most of them would literally just be in it for a pay check, not to find some ground breaking new technology. We are talking about peoples earned income, you can't MANDATE interest in the sciences, math, engineering or technology.

[Osmeric]

As a registered Republican, I'd vote for Clinton before I voted for Trump.

It's going to be interesting to see if the Democrats get the House and Senate in addtion to the Whitehouse.

[Hammerfest]

Practical only if full employment was a thing.

Very very few people actually remain unemployed for life. Even Bernie Sanders eventually had to get a job (in his 40s).

[Theodarzna]

Very very few people actually remain unemployed for life. Even Bernie Sanders eventually had to get a job (in his 40s).

Any amount of time without a job is inconsequential to the concept of Full Employment, I.E. there is a job available for every person from 16 till corpse. No sane person believes that is so.

[Deleted]

GOP and the Democrats are 2 wings of the same party. Just the GOP is where the nutters who have no interest in parlimentry politics congregate. Its a one party state anyway.

The Gop base voters are all nutters, evangelicals who believe in angels, white racists who think 'dey tuk our jabs' and people so terrified of others they have to carry guns about everywhere.

to say they are in trouble is an understatement.

[PC2]

If they have no jobs how do they buy ANY tech or fund any of these projects?

Eventually when the tech becomes cheap enough it should be offered for free. For example, I think we are not far off now where the internet can be practically free for everyone. Similar to a human right.

More over that also assumes maximum interest and aptitude.

Having say 200 million people or more and assuming all of them will become great scientists, engineers or mathematicians is simply ludicrous. Most of them would literally just be in it for a pay check, not to find some ground breaking new technology. We are talking about peoples earned income, you can't MANDATE interest in the sciences, math, engineering or technology.

If people have no interest in advancing society then they deserve a crappy life. I'm not saying every single person needs to be STEM. Society needs some history people like yourself, but at some point there isn't a lot of additional history information available, where as the upper ceiling(if there is one) for physicists is way higher.

[FrothyMug]

Ah yes, the "not conservative enough" people have arrived. It's so clear that the GOP base just wants a more conservative candidate which is why Cruz, easily the most conservative candidate, is winning the nomination handily.......oh wait.......

You completely missed the point of my post.

1) They simply refuse to let go of the social conservatism which alienates an increasingly large segment of the voter base. Gays, blacks, hispanics, etc. avoid the GOP, often in huge numbers, because the GOP has rhetoric which is either perceived as awful or is actually awful to these minority groups. You also have to realize that in some cases GOP anti-minority policy will lose voters who sympathize with minorities -- the gay issue is probably the best. Poeple who have friends and family members who are gay will be hard pressed to justify pulling that GOP lever if they feel close to those gay people in their lives.

While true, there's also the factor that libs often call conservatives racist, homophobic, etc. so they can feel better about themselves and superior over an opposing point of view. The truth of the matter is that the real substantive conservative base doesn't give two sh*ts about race or sexual orientation. All that matters is that you pull your own weight and keep your business to yourself. If you want to be gay, go for it. Conservatives just don't like it when it starts to affect how they have to live their lives. Case in point, the current, asinine argument over bathroom/shower/lockerroom use by transgenders and people who want to "feel" like they belong to the opposite sex on a whim. This is being framed as an issue of bigotry in the conservative base. It's the perception that carries and opponents of conservatives take full advantage of this. It's also why Cruz is not doing better in the primaries than he should be.

2) The obstructionism. Whether or not you agree with it, or agree it is happening the GOP is perceived as the party of "no". It started as a tactic to discredit the Democrats (Obama in particular) and it has started to backfire. People may not want government to be unleashed, but they certainly don't want it to do nothing -- often times to the determent to the population. I'm looking at you infrastructure.

Again, it's all about perception. The Democrat party and liberalism in general is never satisfied with the ground they gain on social, political, and fiscal issues. Any attempt to "conserve" the current status is perceived as obstructionism. The job of conservatism is to reinforce the values and policies that made this country work well. Not everything is perfect, but sometimes knee-jerk reactions come from trying to fix a problem and it's not the right solution.

3) The warmongering. This hits both parties, but the GOP is considered the pro-military party. There are a lot of people who are tired of the endless spending on the military. The fearmongering about the middle east gets harder and harder to justify as 9/11 slips further and further into memory. In a few years people will be of voting age who weren't even alive when 9/11 happened and are likely to be far more anti-war and anti-interventionist than the people who lived through that day.

Fearmongering is a word that gets thrown around way too liberally, no pun intended. The concerns and apprehension that some people have towards terrorism is, in my opinion, quite understandable. There are hundreds of thousands of Muslims who pray and hope that one day, Western civilization falls. Some of those Muslims take it upon themselves to expedite such an event and are indiscriminate as to who gets killed in their holy war. As a matter of fact, they purposely target civilians so as to better get the point across. I don't blame Americans for some of the fear they have, but yes, it gets unreasonable at times. Meanwhile, the Left's naivete towards the treatment of these groups of people that is even scarier.

"It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls." -Aristophanes

4) The pandering to the rich. As the middle class shrinks and wages stagnate there is more and more of an uproar over the benefits the rich get -- both individuals and corporations. Trickle down economics and continued breaks for the wealthy haven't worked, and people want to know why we're still going down this economic road. This is probably the #1 reason why Sanders got as popular as he did -- he tapped into the frustration people have with a system they feel is rigged to keep them down at the benefit of the wealthy.

Yes, there is an abundance of corruption and malice intertwined in our economic system. But it is Washington in general that is the culprit behind this degenerate behavior, not just Republicans. Trump and Sanders both benefit from the frustration felt by their support base. I believe trickle-down works just fine when the economy is in a standard state. However, it's not and all of those breaks for corporations and the wealthy is passed by legislators who seek to retain their money and power and they belong to both parties. Again, it's all about perception.

I was rather hoping for a Cruz win for the primary -- just to finally show the people who claim the GOP just needs a candidate who is truly conservative to win that it isn't what the problem is, but that looks like it won't happen. Mark my words when Trump loses there will be a loud chiming of "he wasn't conservative enough" just like Romney and the GOP will again fail to learn their lesson.

The conservative base has been complaining that Trump isn't conservative enough for a few months now. As a matter of fact, he's not really a conservative. It's kind of mind-boggling to me how he gets so much support. But then I realize that he does better in states that have open primaries. Looks like a lot of Democrat voters are liking the cut of his jib too.

[ringpriest]

And on the Democrat side... their lead candidate lost the last election against a no-name senator from Chicago... and now she can't firmly secure the nomination that was handed to her on a silver platter when running against a Socialist. All momentum in the election has been controlled by Sanders, keeping her moving further and further left.

The GOP has problems... don't act like the Democrat side is all roses and sunshine.

Yes, Hillary would be handily defeated by any remotely decent Republican, and would face a hard fight even against the party's more right-wing nutjobs. Fortunately for her, she'll likely be running against Donald Trump, who is so disliked that he'd have a hard time against the Cthulhu/Satan ticket.

[Theodarzna]

Eventually when the tech becomes cheap enough it should be offered for free. For example, I think we are not far off now where the internet can be practically free for everyone. Similar to a human right.

Until then we will run these start ups on pixie dust and Chads dads dealership money?

If people have no interest in advancing society then they deserve a crappy life. I'm not saying every single person needs to be STEM. Society needs some history people like yourself, but at some point there isn't a lot of additional history information available, where as the upper ceiling(if there is one) for physicists is way higher.

That seems rather intense to argue only STEM advances society in anyway. Is it not possible people should pursue passions they have and not try to fake a passion in order to get money?

More over, "Advancing society." Let me tell you a fun secret, how many Physicians and Engineers do you think are in the Muslim brotherhood? A great book called The Muslim Brotherhood: Evolution of an Islamist Movement so here you have terrorists, dedicated to founding a religious theocracy, a very violant one at that FILLED TO THE BRIM with physicians and engineers. Are they making the world a better place? Aren't all STEM-Lords glorious resplendent agents of goodness in the world? How could they be both STEMLords and kinda evil?

Dedication to advancing society =/= STEM. Nor should everyone try to force themselves to find interest in it, otherwise you just have a F' ton of biologists, mathematicians and engineers equally as soul dead as the legions of min. wage workers at Wal-Mart.

Meanwhile they are being paid as well as they would have been in Wal-Mart too now since EVERYONE is a STEMLord now.

[PC2]

Until then we will run these start ups on pixie dust and Chads dads dealership money?

Run the start-up on money. We have a mixed economic system.

That seems rather intense to argue only STEM advances society in anyway. Is it not possible people should pursue passions they have and not try to fake a passion in order to get money?

More over, "Advancing society." Let me tell you a fun secret, how many Physicians and Engineers do you think are in the Muslim brotherhood? A great book called The Muslim Brotherhood: Evolution of an Islamist Movement so here you have terrorists, dedicated to founding a religious theocracy, a very violant one at that FILLED TO THE BRIM with physicians and engineers. Are they making the world a better place? Aren't all STEM-Lords glorious resplendent agents of goodness in the world? How could they be both STEMLords and kinda evil?

Dedication to advancing society =/= STEM. Nor should everyone try to force themselves to find interest in it, otherwise you just have a F' ton of biologists, mathematicians and engineers equally as soul dead as the legions of min. wage workers at Wal-Mart.

Meanwhile they are being paid as well as they would have been in Wal-Mart too now since EVERYONE is a STEMLord now.

I'm against religion. STEM people don't blow themselves up because they think they are going to STEM heaven. Many of those problems are dogma based, not based in science.

And that is fine if people want to pursue their passion, but they can do that in their free time. The government and society doesn't owe everybody resources for their passions.

[Hammerfest]

Any amount of time without a job is inconsequential to the concept of Full Employment, I.E. there is a job available for every person from 16 till corpse. No sane person believes that is so.

Why do you think that?

[Theodarzna]

Run the start-up on money. We have a mixed economic system.
I'm against religion. STEM people don't blow themselves up because they think they are going to STEM heaven. Many of those problems are dogma based, not based in science.

And that is fine if people want to pursue their passion, but they can do that in their free time. The government and society doesn't owe everybody resources for their passions.

STEM Does not make on the glorious perfect euphoric vision of r/atheism's visage and splendor (God that hurt to say)

The point is, STEM =/= desire to make world a better place. How many STEM people are just in it for a paycheck and don't give a shit about some high minded ideal? Hell more Gender Studies majors believe in making the world a better place probably than STEM majors in terms of proportions.

See you've crossed the streams, everyone should be STEM because it pays? Well what happens when it doesn't pay because of a flooded market? OH! Well it will make the world a better place because everyone will be inventing new great technology and science! How many people actually will do that and how many are just in it for the paycheck! WEll people who don't want to make the world a better place deserve to have a shit life!

Well fun fact, Gender Studies, Philosophy and yes even Ethnic and Queer studies departments are chalk full of idealistic folk wanting to make the world a better place, and they are dirt fucking poor. So we are right back were we started.

Should everyone major in STEM for the Money? Or for making the world a better more advanced place? And if its the second one, why STEM specifically?

[Barnabas]

The gop just like the democrats aren't going anywhere. They will spin whatever nonsense in the news to confuse you while keeping their firm grip on power.

[Theodarzna]

Why do you think that?

Because there isn't? 41% of America is unemployed, just 9 points shy of half of us. 200 mil or so are working age people, 41% of Americans is about 125,000,000 people. America has, by some liberal estimates 5.8 million plausible job openings. 125 million > 5.8 million..... and I am a history major. Even though its more like 240+ million of us are working age, lets assume its only 25 million whom are out of work, 25 million > 5.8 million.

And we don't even know the quality of that 5.8 million jobs

[Hammerfest]

Because there isn't?

There are always jobs out there.

[Theodarzna]

There are always jobs out there.

Well, I mean if you believe that then your a fool, but I guess enjoy your comforting and very simple belief.

[PC2]

The gop just like the democrats aren't going anywhere.

That is true in congress. However for the presidency the GOP is painted as sexist racist and literally Hitler. That makes it hard to win when lefties create so much fear and hysteria.