jerseyhoya wrote:Because of conservative policies, of course. Well argued.

About the most one could blame "conservatives" for is the stupidity of asserting (and believing?) that we can have 1950s cultural norms without the economic policy context.

RichmondPhilsFan wrote:I give you the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Virginia:

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/politics/2013/06/virginia-gop-candidate-ew-jackson-yoga-satan/65925/

E.W. Jackson is the Republican candidate for Virginia lieutenant governor, and he's a pretty interesting guy with a lot of opinions. Some of these opinions — especially on gays, like that they are "ikky" — have made him more famous than most candidates for lieutenant governor. On Wednesday, we learned that Jackson has some interesting ideas on a new topic: yoga. As The National Review's Betsy Woodruff reports, Jackson warns that yoga can put you at risk for satanic possession in his 2008 book, Ten Commandments to an Extraordinary Life: Making Your Dreams Come True.

"When one hears the word meditation, it conjures an image of Maharishi Yoga talking about finding a mantra and striving for nirvana... The purpose of such meditation is to empty oneself... [Satan] is happy to invade the empty vacuum of your soul and possess it. That is why people serve Satan without ever knowing it or deciding to, but no one can be a child of God without making a decision to surrender to him. Beware of systems of spirituality which tell you to empty yourself. You will end up filled with something you probably do not want."

This guy is the gift that keeps on giving.

In her longer profile of Jackson, Woodruff notes his interesting take on charitable giving. In his book, Jackson says, "While giving to the poor is important, the most powerful giving for wealth building is upward giving." What's upward giving? Giving money to E.W. Jackson.

For example, as you read this book, you may feel a deep spiritual affinity for the things I am teaching and therefore a profound spiritual kinship with me. We may never meet in person, but you can draw on the anointing which God has placed on my life by sowing into my ministry. That opens a spiritual door for you to partake at a deeper level and for me to impart to you as one in Covenant with me. That is how I have come to support other ministries. Wherever you are moved to give, do it consistently and generously. This will start a flow of prosperity in your life which will enhance all the other principles you have learned

Roger Dorn wrote:Yeah I'm not comfortable with the non-questioning of broad government surveillance.

jerseyhoya wrote:Because of conservative policies, of course. Well argued.

dajafi wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:Because of conservative policies, of course. Well argued.

More like neoliberal consensus, it's true. The destruction of union power and erosion of the safety net and regulatory apparatus--the creation of economic circumstances in which both parents had to work--was more or less bipartisan.

About the most one could blame "conservatives" for is the stupidity of asserting (and believing?) that we can have 1950s cultural norms without the economic policy context.

Roger Dorn wrote:Yeah I'm not comfortable with the non-questioning of broad government surveillance. I can't stomach the counter argument of "Well, I've got nothing to hide." Not the point at all, the point is whether people care about civil liberties enough to protest the governments intrusion into our personal lives. Obama and Bush have both been terrible in this regard, Bush more so because he really got the ball rolling with the Patriot Act. Unfortunately, at the end of the day most Americans will side with security over civil liberties. I don't fall into that camp.

dajafi wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:Because of conservative policies, of course. Well argued.

More like neoliberal consensus, it's true. The destruction of union power and erosion of the safety net and regulatory apparatus--the creation of economic circumstances in which both parents had to work--was more or less bipartisan.

About the most one could blame "conservatives" for is the stupidity of asserting (and believing?) that we can have 1950s cultural norms without the economic policy context.

jerseyhoya wrote:I think two major changes largely above the policy making level - globalization and technological progress - have had far more impact on the economic circumstances that have led to where we are now than anything directed from Washington or at the state or local level.

Luzinski's Gut wrote:
Civil liberties have been massacred in our country - the concept of privacy is dead and buried.

Luzinski's Gut wrote:I share your beliefs for the record. Security is largely a psychological condition and can be manipulated by those who desire manipulation...same psychological tendencies associated with marketing and branding.

jerseyhoya wrote:

dajafi wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:Because of conservative policies, of course. Well argued.

More like neoliberal consensus, it's true. The destruction of union power and erosion of the safety net and regulatory apparatus--the creation of economic circumstances in which both parents had to work--was more or less bipartisan.

About the most one could blame "conservatives" for is the stupidity of asserting (and believing?) that we can have 1950s cultural norms without the economic policy context.

I think two major changes largely above the policy making level - globalization and technological progress - have had far more impact on the economic circumstances that have led to where we are now than anything directed from Washington or at the state or local level.

dajafi wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:

dajafi wrote:

jerseyhoya wrote:Because of conservative policies, of course. Well argued.

More like neoliberal consensus, it's true. The destruction of union power and erosion of the safety net and regulatory apparatus--the creation of economic circumstances in which both parents had to work--was more or less bipartisan.

About the most one could blame "conservatives" for is the stupidity of asserting (and believing?) that we can have 1950s cultural norms without the economic policy context.

I think two major changes largely above the policy making level - globalization and technological progress - have had far more impact on the economic circumstances that have led to where we are now than anything directed from Washington or at the state or local level.

I go back and forth on this one. The industrial order of the '50s was probably a unique byproduct of a world war that put our economy on steroids while wrecking everyone else's. And technological advances certainly intensified the economic returns to education (and IMO did weird things to our understanding of class that I don't think are remotely understood).

But "globalization" was in part a set of policy choices, as were changes to the tax and regulatory framework. The Great Compression was the result of one mindset, its dismantling the fruit of another.

A senior administration official, speaking on condition of anonymity, did not specifically confirm the report, but noted the published court order pertains only to data such as a telephone number or the length of a call, and not the subscribers' identities or the content of the telephone calls.