What do Democrats have to do to gain control of the House and the Senate?
1. The Senate - Democrats already hold the Senate. Woo! They'll probably lose it in 2014. Boo! But the seats that will be up for grabs in 2016 will be more favorable to Democrats, and turnout will be back up to presidential election year levels which is also good for Democrats. Unless the GOP ends this cycle with a 4+ seat edge (unlikely) then I think the Democrats can take back the Senate in 2016 without too much difficulty. If the economy is humming along then comparisons to 2000 will come forth, in which Democrats gained a net of 4 Senate seats. Democrats have won Senate seats in red states before by recruiting credible local candidates who are usually right-leaning on a token social issue or two. That plus fundraising and minimal bad press from the national party can very realistically win Democrats some seats in rural states, and the coasts tend to take care of themselves.2. The House - Ugh. Lets not talk about the House. Democrats have no margin for error and basically no likely scenario of victory in the House. So many seats are one-sided these days that they would need to take all of the toss-ups and a decent number of "lean Republican" seats to get to 218. Most likely not possible until after the 2020 redistricting, but until then Democrats will have the best chance at making inroads by being flexible on social issues, picking moderates in the primaries, turning out the vote in high-density areas, and by putting popular policies at the forefront of their agenda. People get tired of hearing about unemployment benefits, the minimum wage, and equal pay for women, but they keep coming up because many Republican voters agree with the Democratic agenda on these issues.
What if the idea of communism was never conceived? What would the world be like?
Eddie, in terms of human nature, it is inconceivable that communism never would have existed, at least in the presence of something as inhumane as liberalism. Communism was a direct reaction to the excesses of classical liberalism. Fascism was a direct reaction to the excesses of progressive liberalism. And today, the burgeoning ethnonationalist movement is a direct reaction to postmodern liberalism. Any time people are oppressed the way they are by liberalism, or any other evil movement, people will revolt.To paraphrase on Catholic theologian G.K. Chesterton, the communists were right about what is wrong, but wrong about what is right. As for liberals, they are right about nothing except how to increase the fortunes of the very rich.
Should prostitution be decriminalized?
Let's turn that question around. Let’s consider reasons why it would be illegal and address those.Spread of disease. Modern legal prostitution includes regular recurring STD tests and mandates the use of barriers. The incidence of STD transmission is very low.Chance of pregnancy. This only applies to heterosexual prostitution among fertile prostitutes and clients. The aforementioned barrier methods reduce this chance and most prostitutes use additional methods of birth control. The incidence of unwanted children is low.Moral issues. This includes adultery, sex outside of wedlock, sex with a person you don’t love, etc. In many modern cultures we’ve greatly reduced the amount of legislative fucks we give about these issues. Not everybody agrees about how bad they are and it’s up to the individual to deal with it themselves.Think of the children! In many of the places where prostitution is legal, they have limitations on advertisement and other ways that children might encounter this. Plus, they’re going to find out about this from the internet anyway. As for children actually going to prostitutes, requiring ID will solve this.Human trafficking. We already have human trafficking in criminal prostitution. Legalizing it makes this harder. When you have to fill out tax reports and doctors visits, that gives a lot more chances for victims to be found and rescued.Entering out of financial obligation. This happens now with illegal prostitution. Legalizing it will make it safer and give more opportunities to move out of prostitution compared to the illegal variety. The original economic pressures are a symptom of wider issues with the economy and the social support net. Legalizing prostitution doesn’t fix all of those problems.Chance of prostitutes being victimized by clients. This happens with criminal hookers already. And they have little recourse as they have to admit to a crime to report it. Making it legal gives them access to police to deal with this. Of course, getting the police to care is another matter, but we have to solve the first before we can start on the second.
Do I stay with a high paying job that I hate or find a job I would like but for half the salary? (30 years old)
I quit my six-figure salary job at Intel at the height of my time there. I did so because I liked being there less and less (for a number of reasons) and the impulse of being an entrepreneur was growing stronger and stronger.I was not interested in working for another person after Intel. I wanted to start my own companies and have the freedom to call my own balls. I had lots of money saved up (a lot) and a lot of debt (fancy house, mostly). I left abruptly and didn’t look back. I’ve been through bankruptcy, having put all that money into my startups and covering my living expenses, I short-sold my house because that house meant shit compared to doing what I love. I had to sell a car I loved for a long time and haven’t bought a new one since. I currently ride a bike mostly to get around or take public transportation. When I absolutely need a car I use an old beater Honda I bought for $4000.I’ve started a number of startups, none of which took off. One had real potential, but I hated the work so I shut it down. The experience starting these companies was worth more than all the money I owned and lost. Today a business partner and I have the most popular podcast in the world about tiny houses (it’s not making any money yet, but we’re exploring options), my latest startup, a movement called Copiosis is gaining tremendous traction and momentum and I’m soon to be launching another company I believe will match the success Copiosis is seeing. I am not worried about, or focused on the money. But here’s the important part:I DO NOT ONCE REGRET LEAVING INTEL.I love what I am doing. I am passionate about it. The experience has been a serious joy ride (mostly) and I can honestly say I wouldn’t do it differently. No way.My point in sharing all this is: You are far better off doing something you love. You are far better in every way including financially. If you play your cards right, doing what you love has a FAR GREATER potential of rewarding you financially than doing something you hate.Even if you for whatever reason don’t find yourself recovering that high salary while doing something you love, I guarantee you, you will be happier. Do not trade money for your happiness. Ever.
Why are so many things made in the USA and Britain so bad?
I’ve got to stand up for the British on this question.I have a number of friends who’s companies outsourced manufacturing to China and Asia about 15 years ago. Most of them have swallowed the bullet and realised that cheap isn’t always good. The outsourcing produced more rejections because the manufacturing failed to meet the tolerances required for their product.The problem with the UK is that we are a small country with a minimum living wage that is far higher than the Asian countries. The cost of living is higher and this has to be passed on to the consumer. However I’d much rather pay a little more for a product that’s going to last longer than buy cheap and have to replace it in half the time.That being said there are countries that produce very high quality goods e.g. Japan, South Korea, and India. They have benefited from post war investment from the West and have built on that base to make themselves power houses of manufacturing
What kind of social, political and cultural effects can be expected from people's reactions of Bernie Sanders being elected President?
Social - More cultural and racial tolerance among people. In other words a more unified nation.Political - Huge political reforms that tax the crap out of Wall Street and the top 1% who owns more wealth than the bottom 99% combined. A much more even playing field in politics where election aren't rigged because of the Citizens United ruling that super PACs can make unlimited contributions to political campaigns and thereby controlling not only the economy but also the government. In other words the end of the illegal and reckless greed of the oligarchy which allows them to stash their cash tax free in the Camen Islands. Too many to list here but basically an even playing field and an actual democracy, not an oligarchy.Cultural - See Social.
How does Jill Stein compare to Bernie Sanders?
Jill Stein is pretty much everything that Bernie Sanders is and so much more.First, Jill Stein not only is the product of leftist movements around the world but also she represents the Green movements that have gained a good amount of traction for being so young.She represents everything that Bernie Sanders does on the economy and more. She wants to break up the big banks, but also to make them public and democratic. She wants to raise the minimum wage to a living wage or $15 an hour. She wants to make a strong transition to a green economy; however, much more quickly and efficiently than Bernie Sanders would.She wants to fight against climate change. She would, however, make a much quicker transition to renewables and declare climate change a state of emergency.She wants to abolish tuition fees, but she also wants to eliminate any existing student loans.She wants to abolish corporate personhood that was established through Citizens United, but she also wants electoral reform like proportional representation and rank choice voting as well as open debates.She would not just legalise marijuana, but also end prohibition of all drugs and transition to a treatment-based not punishment based system.She would also establish a “medicare-for-all” system to guarantee healthcare as a right.She’s also a woman, meaning she could be the first female president much like Hillary Clinton. That’s something Bernie Sanders can't offer.Jill Stein does compare to Bernie Sanders, yet she offers so much more and would enact policies that would extend far beyond what Bernie has preached.