Republican -- small business owner, frequent C-Span
and Fox News Channel viewer

I would like the "government" (city, state and federal)to accept the tax checks (sales,payroll) I send each month and leave everything else alone. The less they
do the better off we are.

The main problem with our government, current and
past, is that they are strictly reactionary. When
something comes up in the news they try to do
something to fix it. In most cases a law or
plan is already in place but some life time
government employee, local or federal, has become indifferent.

There is no vision or leadership on long term
problems. How long have candidates been compaigning
on a social security, prescription drug fixes.
Nothing has been accomplished on these items.
Handle the BIG issues that take time. Don't sweat the small stuff.

I beleive, the reason we have a reactionary government is that someone is always up for reelection, pandering to this group or that one for campaign monies. I know I differ with many on the following idea. The President gets a five year term and all of Congress should serve 10 year terms. Maybe if they are stuck with each other long term they might tackle large issues.

More than 40% of the country might even vote if they
know they are stuck with someone for 10 years.
Or maybe not.

Thanks JR, but I'm not sure if I have the patience to be a politician...

It's truly sad that our party system limits the availability of good candidates and automatically reduces the choice to two candidates that are usually equally worthless.

My strong feeling is that an availability of good candidates has nothing whatever to do with our party system but has everything in the world to do with the fact that too few worthwhile candidates are willing to put themselves forward for the microscopic scrutiny of the press ... TV in particular, but papers, magazines and radio too, will over-examine every move they've ever made ...

Until Nixon, that never happened ... now, we somehow fantasize that Sir Galahad or some other "pure knight" will ride into the process and it's just not going to happen ... there will be no abundance of good choices ... truly worthy candidates will pursue other endeavors instead of seeking office because they, their wives and families will be unwilling to subject themselves to the ordeal of the modern press.

Running back before Nixon, one finds LBJ, JFK, IKE and FDR ... every single one of whom were known for their "affairs" ... only Truman in that period had no publicly known personal flaws ... none of whom had to deal with the sort of rabid pre-mortem autopsies that are done today.

I agree with the media Scrutinization Steve, but still, more choice/competition is good for most things. I think the more parties and therefore more candidates available, the better the resultant winners will be.

I have always voted straight across the board Republican...

I find myself agreeing with most all of you, but Charlie, gdurfor, Plabonte, Steve and somewhat, Huskey pretty much sum it up for me...

I think I should be King.

King Tarheel sounds good!

Long Live the King........with a great box of cigars.

Where is Rick?

I was wondering the same thing. Does anyone know??

ummmmm All liberal tree huggers need to be hung???

I vote for the one's who try to keep it close to the Constitution you know the paper that built this country!!!!

God Bless America!!!!!

Laterzzzz
Hog

Todog

do i thank you or should i resent your philosophy?

eleltea

here i is!

SteveS

if one has led a decent life, one doesn't fear scrutiny.

ad infinitum

reagan was a good president. trippled the debt and didn't know if he was reading his current speech or a movie script.

reagan was a good father. read his daughters book.

reagan was a good husband, except for having an affair with the current mrs, while still married to the first mrs.

john "the duke" wayne is a national hero and treasure because he made movies about killing injuns and japs. never in a real war.

made a comment, off the cuff, during the civil rights school integration era, that he was glad he didn't raise angus, because he would have to bus them to market.

clinton, a slippery man, and not because of monica. everyone so fixated on the lewinski bull**** and the pardons, the rest of what he did or did not do totally escapes the haters.

narrow minds happy with, and needing no more than, simple heros and enemies.

'Bout time for a left-of-center comment. Thanks, Rick.

no your wrong there.. I can honestly say Billy Boy getting rid of the Military did not work.. yea We (Military as a Whole) had to pick up where he cut back but it was done with Honor to the Flag and its People.. not to the current gov. at that time... and allot of us did know what was going on with a man who dodged the military as a whole and also sent it on a 8 year peace keeping mission all over Gods Creation and then when his A$$ was in a hot seat launched out Bogus Strikes at Military targets the Janitors wrote down on a napkin... waisting millions and millions of more tax payers (mine,Yours and everyone else's who works for a livings) on false promise's.. Thank God for the Right Wing Lets get it right People in the World!!!!
and by the way Yes I made a Typo awhile back post.. on Right/Left Wing "My Bad"

Enjoy your Evening Rickyboy!!!! and listen to yourr Daughter-in-Law she might open your eye's a bit!!!

Laterzzzz
Hog

Rick, you should respect my philosophy without having to agree with it as I do yours!!!!

The people on the right here, are lucky to have Rick in these conversations. Without something to balance, you may convince yourselves that you are always correct.

To me, these discussions are awfully dry without Rick's input. I lean to the left, obviously, and pipe up occassionally, when I hit a topic I have had time to think about a little bit.

Go, Rick....

I agree we're lucky to have Rick ... he's as nice a guy as you'll ever meet, and is smart, witty, warm, generous and amusing ... his politics are well intentioned and come from his heart, even though he is full of sh*t ...