Posted on 02/14/2009 11:27:03 AM PST by Publius
I don’t really blame him for his response to the things you mentioned that he had thrust upon him. Actually, unlike some, I think his response really wasn’t all that terrible. The stuff he pissed me off on was wrong stuff that he consciously CHOSE to do.
Thats quite a compliment.. thanks.
Even the Great One screwed up...1) Amnesty 1 and 2)not retaliating for the Marine Barracks bombing in Lebanon.
Much of what Bush had to deal with were a direct result of Reagan's failures.
His social security reform attempt surprised me. You have to give him credit for trying.
Thank you for reminding me of that one. He’s sorely in need of marks on the plus side. An aside: you couldn’t say you disapproved of Bush’s performance in polls during his admin because they would automatically assumed you wanted the vaunted “arch conservative” to be more LIBERAL and published the results as such. At least now we can answer honestly.
His education was in economics..
I wonder if he had intentions of being more like Reagan fiscally before the planes hit?
The first presidential election I was eligible to vote in was 1988 (I voted for Bush 41).
I think we’ve hijacked a thread unintentionally.
I really hate to leave good company but my pumpkin hour is striking.
Good question.
Prior to 9/11 I vaguely recall reading that President Bush was to meet with president fox to discuss immigration. Around that time I also recall (though I’m probably remembering it wrong) reading an editorial in news week about President Bush’s administration. The writer noted that up to that point, many in the media were not sure how to assess his performance, mainly due to the lack of exposure to the press.
As usual, I am late to the party! I just have to tell you all how much I have been enjoying this, even though I don't get to post as much as I would like. I've been reading this book for over a month now and I see echoes of it everywhere lately, but have no opportunities to discuss it with friends or family. So thank you so much for doing this!
Even though I fear for the country and the direction in which it is headed, I really am taking pleasure in reading this book. Does anyone else feel the same way? I think I'm cheering for Atlas to Shrug because it needs to happen, even though I worry about how that will affect my family - especially my children. Maybe it's easier to deal with in fictional form than in reality.
In any case, we haven't yet discussed the aspect of the book that I find most interesting - that is the parallel to what is going on in today's headlines. The “economic crisis” that happened right before the election certainly seemed to have been caused by the irresponsibility and entitlement of the poor, who took out mortgages they couldn't pay, and the government, who forced the banks to give those loans and promised to back them up. But who is being blamed over and over for the mess? Rich, greedy capitalists. Wall Street. And people just believe that to be the case. It's easy to vilify the rich. Instead of admiring people who have worked hard to get to their position in life and want to emulate them, it seems like the average person today resents anyone who has more than he does and complains that it isn't fair.
Is it because of the way we raise our kids these days? The “Everyone has to get a trophy, even if he came in last” mentality?
Now that “Directive 10-289” has passed - (of course, we don't really know what just passed, seeing as how no one had the chance to READ it first...) I wonder what we'll be in for.
Well, if you disagree with a conservative, chances are it's because you wish they were more liberal. The problem is, we're talking about disagreeing with George Bush. If you said you disagreed with Nancy Pelosi, would they interpret that as you saying she should be more liberal?
No, they’d probably think I’m a conservative whack-job. :)
Perhaps we should continue this conversation offline, as we’ve really drifted off the original subject of this thread.
Maybe tomorrow. I gotta hit the sack. Good posting with ya!
When good compromises with evil, it is only evil that can profit.
Ayn Rand
Remember, she is Russian, afterall. (Think Tolstoy, Pasternak, Dostoyevsky, etc.)
Grrrr... Heaven forbid anyone should be made to actually listen to opposing points of view, or worse yet, have more time to consider their decisions carefully... shakes head, Spector, Snowe and Collins should be hauled up on charges. Better still, we can send them ALL, a copy of AS, and invite them to our Saturday soirees.
Tatt
This is the chapter where Rand begins to lose me. IMHO, here is where AS begins to read like a smutty romance novel. I'm trying to be fair here: And, in all fairness, Rand was writing at a time when it was common/acceptable for Hollywood to portray men slapping women and vice-versa onscreen. Rand does make her character, Dagny, strong only in that she does not cry nor wince when she has been given a bloody lip. But, the fact that she enjoys having caused a strong reaction from Francisco isn't a sign of strength, as Rand seems to believe; it's a sign of weakness because she is measuring her self-worth by the emotional reaction she receives from him. That she doesn't strike back and, the next summer, begins a sexual relationship with him could be explained away as a youthful indiscretion and gullibility. But, as we see later, Rand does not see a need to excuse Dagny's behavior or thinking; rather, she tries to justify it as superior. I don't want to spoil the story, so I'll stop right there. More in later chapters...
What I find missing is that Dagny is not considering the possibility that she herself could become pregnant and have children. Rand explains in detail everything the characters are thinking, considering, worrying about. But, in the 1950's, when the story is being written, the thought of pregnancy and children doesn't cross Dagny's mind.
When I turned 18, I became a registered Democrat, just like everyone else in my family. And everyone else in Western Pennsylvania. Most elections were determined in the primaries, and you really did not get a say on who was elected unless you were a Democrat.
I turned 18 about a week before the 1984 fall elections. My first vote was for Ronald Reagan!
When I moved out of state, and I needed to re-register, I just could NOT register as a Democrat again, as I felt no kinship whatever to that party. I kept it a secret from my family. Little did I know that one by one, everyone was changing party affiliation.
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