What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans, and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or the holy name of liberty and democracy? – Gandhi
Expert Mother tongues: Polish, English Posts: 2906 Joined: September 13, 2008 Location: United States
RE: America, America...
The first part of the sentence was related to the foundations of the world: the second one to elections. As per intuition, yes, I would choose Michael Bloomberg for a mayor based on my intuition.
[Edited by Liliana Boladz-Nekipelov on November 4, 2009 2:28 PM]
Expert Mother tongue: English Posts: 1804 Joined: February 1, 2008 Location: United States
RE: America, America...
Sorry about my view, but I have not been in New York since 1991. I do recall Bloomberg calling it a "luxury city", and I don't think that he meant that as a compliment (think $ 8 Heinekens). I also think it a bit odd all the crusades that New York has started, banning transfats, and now trying to impose a "fat tax" (which, because the poor tend to eat more diets rich in fats, is really a very regressive tax on the poorest people). Also, if you live anywhere near NY City, you evidently get to help them pay their train fares into the city, through a special tax, even if you never use the subway and train system (here in the Dallas area, we have tollways, but you only pay it if you actually use it). I also sort of wonder about the "ring of iron" around the city, to keep its safe, and the fact that the NYPD has I think 1,000 officers, just dedicated to counterterrorism and keeping an eye on all the jihadists (that is the 2nd biggest counter terror force, I think, in the world, too). Do New Yorkers talk about that, or is that just the price of doing business in a city that has thrown its doors open to the world ? New York before 2001 was a so-called "Amnesty City", which meant that the city would not cooperate with federal police to aprehend illegal aliens in the city (L.A. did that too, as did every big city in California, of course). One result of that was the "blind sheik", who - even though having been in prison in Egypt in the 1990s for terrorism, was allowed not only to move to New York, but to preach hate from his "Islamic Center". Nice job...
... but probably I am just jealous, because there is a lot more to do in NYC than where I live...
[Edited by John Bunch on November 5, 2009 8:50 PM]
Expert Mother tongues: Polish, English Posts: 2906 Joined: September 13, 2008 Location: United States
RE: America, America...
It is a great city, John, and New Yorkers mostly talk about fun things. You do not feel really the discrepancy between the poor and the rich on a class level, like you may in some other places in the world. You may even sometimes take millionaire for a begger, the way some of them dress to work. Or vice versa. It is very friendly, but to really know it, you have to live here for a while, not just to visit, a few years, because otherwise you know only the billboard, the New York from a California movie.
Expert Mother tongue: English Posts: 1804 Joined: February 1, 2008 Location: United States
RE: America, America...
I think that one image of the typical New Yorker that we have in the rest of America is of the New Yorker being unfriendly, but I have to say that I don't agree with that. People mistake brusqueness with unfriendliness, but they are not the same. I actually think that New Yorkers can be and often are friendly.
Mother tongue: Polish Joined: February 18, 2003 Location: Poland
RE: America, America...
Originally written by John Bunch on October 28, 2009 8:27 PM
one of the statistical tricks that people use to "prove" that "things are getting worse and worse all the time" is to use "household" income, rather than per person income, to measure income changes over time. Because many more people lived together in the 1950s in one house than today (where many households have one person), it is very easy to "prove" that household income has indeed fallen since the supposedly "golden era" of the 1950s and 1960s - (whereas, in reality, personal income has risen sharply since 1955). "There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics" (- Disraeli).
The number of Americans who lack dependable access to adequate food shot up last year to 49 million, the largest number since the government has been keeping track, according to a government report released Monday that shows particularly steep increases in food scarcity among families with children.
Expert Mother tongue: English Posts: 1804 Joined: February 1, 2008 Location: United States
RE: America, America...
The same people who criticize Walmart for low prices, are now saying that the poor have to pay too much for food !!! (rich liberals will often try to prevent Walmart from moving into poor areas, because the food costs so little !! This happened in L.A. and Chicago, where liberals from places like the "Gold Coast" (Chicago) and Beverly Hills and Brentwood organized campaigns to keep Walmart out of the ghettos. But the problem was that this "boutique issue" did not have much resonance in the actual ghetto, where people wanted cheap food and low prices. And so now those same liberals are complaining that the poor have to pay too much for food !!
The same dynamic plays out with fast food. There is a hamburger chain called "In-N-Out Burger". It is hugely popular with progressives and richer people, and with Hollywood stars. They love it, but at the same time, they vilify McDonalds. So the lesson is clear: expensive food is o.k., but cheap food is not ok. And they then complain that the poor don't have enough to eat.
This might shock some in Europe, but many poor people in rural counties actually kill their own food by hunting it. This is quite common. So I also wonder if the statistic takes that into account. BTW, they don't do it because they necessarily have to, but they like to hunt and they like being connected to the land in that way. That is what it looks like in conservative counties.
In "blue" states, it sometimes looks like this: Detroit. 80,000 vacant buildings, a high school system in almost full collapse. Crime out of control. Big boxes and grocery stores have actually all left the city itself, and the city brings in trucks with food, like in some 3rd-world country.
[Edited by John Bunch on November 16, 2009 1:10 PM]
Right-wing radicals are already pinning presidential ambitions on a mother-of-five from Minnesota who calls herself a 'fool for Christ' and condemns Obama as a socialist at the head of a gangster regime
Michele Bachmann gestures as she speaks at the Republican National Convention in 2008. Photograph: Paul Sancya/AP
She is a striking brunette with a decidedly outspoken attitude. She lambasts President Barack Obama as a socialist and has become the darling of America's right-wing activists who flock to her appearances. She is hated by liberals and loved by conservatives.
Sarah Palin? Not quite. Meet Michele Bachmann, a Republican congresswoman from Minnesota who is being hailed as a new and increasingly powerful voice in American politics.
Bachmann, at 53, is a darling of the so-called Tea Party movement, which has campaigned vociferously against healthcare reform, the economic stimulus package and legislation to combat climate change. Her followers have been behind mass rallies in Washington and smaller ones all over the country. She has emerged as one of the most visible politicians in America, frequently appearing on the conservative Fox News channel, whose hosts often champion her causes.
She is part of an increasingly visible "female brand" of conservatism that is rising in America in the wake of the election of Obama. They include notable syndicated commentators such as Michelle Malkin and Ann Coulter, whose dislike for liberals has grown ever more shrill in recent months. And, of course, Palin herself. ...
All these women express a mood of conservative discontent that is becoming increasingly vocal and, some experts warn, extreme. ...
"They are tapping into grassroots frustration... they are charging up an already highly charged group of people," ...
Originally written by John Bunch on November 16, 2009 12:46 PM The same dynamic plays out with fast food. There is a hamburger chain called "In-N-Out Burger". It is hugely popular with progressives and richer people, and with Hollywood stars.
Hi John. I don't eat fast food and have never been to an "In-N-Out Burger." That richer people like it, though, is probably true –if only because top earners are part of the larger, mixed population that patronizes burger restaurants. “Burger chains were among those showing the least variance in patronage among high and low earners,” writes Restaurants and Institutions (R&I) magazine. The R&I 2009 Consumer’s Choice in burger chains ranked "In-N-Out” at the top –same as last year, and many years before.
And yes, "In-N-Out" has fans among celebrities; e.g. Jason Giambi and Ohio State quarterback Troy Smith. Not sure about Hollywood’s.
It may also be true that progressives prefer In-N-Out Burger. Perhaps they like their food quality, rated at 83% by R&I (vs 49% for McD’s). Progressives may also identify with the chain’s ethical practices. In-N-Out Burger was family-owned for decades; it has never franchised since its first restaurant opened in 1948. The chain pays the highest wages in the FF industry. Their FTEs have a benefits package that includes medical, dental, and life insurance. How many other fast food companies provide that?
They love it, but at the same time, they vilify McDonalds. So the lesson is clear: expensive food is o.k., but cheap food is not ok.
I doubt that In-N-Out can be considered "expensive." And the problem with really cheap food is that is has other costs. Employee's wages, for example. And safety in food handling. According to R&I’s survey, the third most important priority among burger chain patrons (after food quality [1] and value [2]) was cleanliness, which was rated:
In-N-Out: 70% (top rating)
McDonald’s: 37%
This, however, does not prevent McD’s from being a top seller of fast food. McDonald’s ranks #1 in sales -- although their sales may not be absorbed much by progressives. In-N-Out ranks #80.
Another reason for your assertion above may be awareness of the fast food industry practices? For example, progressives and liberals may have read:
I recommend it.
(Could the moderators erase the code above, please? I've tried, but... Tx)
[Edited by Elena Sgarbossa on November 17, 2009 11:00 AM]
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