Why I love America

[Hermit]

An elected head of state

That is certainly preferable to people claiming to rule by divine right and other dictators. On the downside, the US electorate chose Ronald Reagan. Twice!

I'm not even sure if I would say it's preferable to a "dictator". It's still a essentially a dictatorship, only instead of one party/one person its two parties with the same ideology. Reagan TWICE AND Bush TWICE!

Are you serious? I would definitely prefer to live under Reagan, Bush, rather than Pinochet, Franco, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler or Ulbricht.

You're just naming individual leaders. It's not a "rather this or that" situation. Just saying that the US has a dictatorship in place, only it happens to be a corporate dictatorship.

Let me rephrase it then: I would definitely prefer to live in a corporate dictatorship under Reagan, Bush, rather than Pinochet, Franco, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler or Ulbricht. The differences between a capitalist democracy with leaders elected by popular and secret votes and any other system of government tried so far - especially the dictatorship of the proletariat - are obvious.

[mistermack]

mai, Actually, I do the best that I can to stay on the "proper" side of the line when it comes to being a dirty old man. I've seen enough old horndogs make fools of themselves by fawning over young women, as if they had a chance of getting some. I've also been around enough women who have let me know how they feel when some old fart with a few drinks in him carries on like that, and they think that kind of behavior is repulsive. So do I.

You're going about it wrong. Just spend a few quid on em. You will suddenly find that they were attracted to older men all along. They're all whores at heart.
.

[hadespussercats]

mai, Actually, I do the best that I can to stay on the "proper" side of the line when it comes to being a dirty old man. I've seen enough old horndogs make fools of themselves by fawning over young women, as if they had a chance of getting some. I've also been around enough women who have let me know how they feel when some old fart with a few drinks in him carries on like that, and they think that kind of behavior is repulsive. So do I.

You're going about it wrong. Just spend a few quid on em. You will suddenly find that they were attracted to older men all along. They're all whores at heart.
.

For comments like that, you are not a reason I love America.

[Boyle]

mai, Actually, I do the best that I can to stay on the "proper" side of the line when it comes to being a dirty old man. I've seen enough old horndogs make fools of themselves by fawning over young women, as if they had a chance of getting some. I've also been around enough women who have let me know how they feel when some old fart with a few drinks in him carries on like that, and they think that kind of behavior is repulsive. So do I.

You're going about it wrong. Just spend a few quid on em. You will suddenly find that they were attracted to older men all along. They're all whores at heart.
.

Exchanging money for sex seems like the best deal you can get. Money and sex? Why not! Besides, pretty much everyone is a whore for enough money.

Anyway, I tend to like the Bill of Rights and those assholes that defend it.

[maiforpeace]

mai, Actually, I do the best that I can to stay on the "proper" side of the line when it comes to being a dirty old man. I've seen enough old horndogs make fools of themselves by fawning over young women, as if they had a chance of getting some. I've also been around enough women who have let me know how they feel when some old fart with a few drinks in him carries on like that, and they think that kind of behavior is repulsive. So do I.

You're going about it wrong. Just spend a few quid on em. You will suddenly find that they were attracted to older men all along. They're all whores at heart.
.

For comments like that, you are not a reason I love America.

He said spend a few quid - so he's not an American.

If you are a dirty old man, you're going to need to spend more than a few quid.

[JimC]

That is certainly preferable to people claiming to rule by divine right and other dictators. On the downside, the US electorate chose Ronald Reagan. Twice!

I'm not even sure if I would say it's preferable to a "dictator". It's still a essentially a dictatorship, only instead of one party/one person its two parties with the same ideology. Reagan TWICE AND Bush TWICE!

Are you serious? I would definitely prefer to live under Reagan, Bush, rather than Pinochet, Franco, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler or Ulbricht.

You're just naming individual leaders. It's not a "rather this or that" situation. Just saying that the US has a dictatorship in place, only it happens to be a corporate dictatorship.

Let me rephrase it then: I would definitely prefer to live in a corporate dictatorship under Reagan, Bush, rather than Pinochet, Franco, Mussolini, Stalin, Hitler or Ulbricht. The differences between a capitalist democracy with leaders elected by popular and secret votes and any other system of government tried so far - especially the dictatorship of the proletariat - are obvious.

Yay!

Seraph is a secret, sensible centrist after all!

[Robert_S]

We have some world class kooks and cult leaders.

[Tigger]

We have some world class kooks and cult leaders.

We had a cunt leader here until recently, preceded by another one. Time will tell whether we're going for the hat trick.

[Hermit]

Seraph is a secret, sensible centrist after all!

In a way, I suppose.

As long as power works from the ground up - and does so without oppressing minorities - I have no problem with any form of government. The Soviets (councils of workers' deputies) were envisaged to work like that, but the exigencies resulting from the civil wars in the 1920s USSR and the 1940s PRC put an end to that kind of democracy in very short order.

Capitalist democracies look somewhat more attractive in the democracy stakes, but the difference is not as great as generally perceived. We do elect political representatives, and historically we do have more rights to do as we please, but the majority of voters are cynically manipulated by the powers that be, chiefly via the medium of the media. That is why we so frequently vote governments into office that manifestly work against the interests of the vast majority of us citizens.

For instance, only a few years ago here in Australia, we had the Hobson's choice between a policy platform promoting the interests of the 'aspirational classes' and that of the 'trickle-down effect'. When Kevin Rudd made the best changes that have been made to the personal income tax scales in decades, they were roundly ignored, and he was shafted by his own party on the grounds that he had become an unacceptable liability in regard to the approaching elections.

Right now, using a couple of quotes by Winston Churchill, it comes to this: "The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter." but "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried."

Eventually capitalism will collapse under the weight of its own systemic problems, just like Karl Marx predicted, but what comes next is anyone's guess. All I can say is that it is unlikely to be a bright future. At best we'll get to Huxley's Brave new World. Other options are a 1984 type scenario or a repeat of one of those top-down communist regimes.

It's a wonderful life, ain't it?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

mai, Actually, I do the best that I can to stay on the "proper" side of the line when it comes to being a dirty old man. I've seen enough old horndogs make fools of themselves by fawning over young women, as if they had a chance of getting some. I've also been around enough women who have let me know how they feel when some old fart with a few drinks in him carries on like that, and they think that kind of behavior is repulsive. So do I.

You're going about it wrong. Just spend a few quid on em. You will suddenly find that they were attracted to older men all along. They're all whores at heart.
.

For comments like that, you are not a reason I love America.

He said spend a few quid - so he's not an American.

If you are a dirty old man, you're going to need to spend more than a few quid.

"Deflation causes inflation."

[charlou]

It's a wonderful life, ain't it?

We've become too clever for our own good.

[maiforpeace]

mai, Actually, I do the best that I can to stay on the "proper" side of the line when it comes to being a dirty old man. I've seen enough old horndogs make fools of themselves by fawning over young women, as if they had a chance of getting some. I've also been around enough women who have let me know how they feel when some old fart with a few drinks in him carries on like that, and they think that kind of behavior is repulsive. So do I.

You're going about it wrong. Just spend a few quid on em. You will suddenly find that they were attracted to older men all along. They're all whores at heart.
.

For comments like that, you are not a reason I love America.

He said spend a few quid - so he's not an American.

If you are a dirty old man, you're going to need to spend more than a few quid.

"Deflation causes inflation."

There's always Viagra.

[LaMont Cranston]

mistermack, Gee, you really charmed the women who are members of this forum. All things considered, I think I'll keep doing it my way.

[Ian]

There's always Viagra.

Another reason to love America: We're leading the charge in the development of boner pills.

[LaMont Cranston]

Ian, Since I've run into you on this thread, congratulations on Ohio State's impressive 45-7 trouncing of Marshall. Yes, let's hear it for real football, one of the many lovable things about America!