en-us https://www.intensedebate.com/users/1736531 Comments by DMYinAR http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/09/17/saturday-open-thread-constitution-edition/#IDComment195254750 Apologies are for things done by mistake. Perry stood to benefit from his decision. It was no accident. In the true tradition on criminals and politicians, he's not sorry he did it. He is just sorry it's causing him problems now. Keep voting for people who think it's alright to trample your rights, but don't expect anything to actually change. You're the one who is buying what the party is pushing. Don't accuse me of blind partisanship. Do you think they really care if Perry beats Romney? They're the same guy with different accents. A vote for either will protect their power. That's all they care about. Mon, 19 Sep 2011 13:07:44 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/09/17/saturday-open-thread-constitution-edition/#IDComment195254750 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/09/17/saturday-open-thread-constitution-edition/#IDComment194694514 So thinking that a doctor can advise me better than a politician is anti-intellectualism? Nonsense. This was just another chance for a slimy politician to cozy up to the drug companies by sending some money their way. Now, all of those who support Perry want to give him a pass because, "it's for the children." Please. Obamacare was passed in the name of mercy, as well. Still, you fought it from the beginning, and rightly so. So much evil can be done in the name of mercy. It doesn't matter if it's your side doing it. Perry was wrong. He is corrupt. Bachmann, Paul, and the others who have called him out on this are correct. Sun, 18 Sep 2011 05:18:58 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/09/17/saturday-open-thread-constitution-edition/#IDComment194694514 http://bigjournalism.com/dloesch/2011/08/22/in-defense-of-piers-morgan/#IDComment185592231 The only reason O'Donnell was asked for an interview is because she was a political candidate. That is what made her "famous" enough to even sell a book. (That seems a little absurd to me, but oh well...) Therefore, hard, pointed, uncomfortable questions should be expected. I agree that he would have gone easier on a liberal. Mon, 22 Aug 2011 20:36:59 +0000 http://bigjournalism.com/dloesch/2011/08/22/in-defense-of-piers-morgan/#IDComment185592231 http://biggovernment.com/cdevore/2011/08/17/governor-perry-the-trans-texas-corridor-eminent-domain-do-limited-government-conservatives-need-to-worry-no/#IDComment185359849 As I've said in previous posts, I'm not looking to hand the power back to the Republicans. I'm not Republican so I don't care that he was a Democrat. It's the rest of the stuff that bothers me. I'm not playing the "at least he's better than Obama" game. My dog is better than Obama, but I'm not writing him in. I don't like Perry. I don't trust him. He's a the classic smug, big government loving politician. That man makes my skin crawl. If people want to support Perry, they will, but I will not. Doesn't matter if he's the nominee. Wouldn't matter if he was the only guy on the ballot in the general election. I'm not voting for him. Mon, 22 Aug 2011 01:56:57 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/cdevore/2011/08/17/governor-perry-the-trans-texas-corridor-eminent-domain-do-limited-government-conservatives-need-to-worry-no/#IDComment185359849 http://biggovernment.com/cdevore/2011/08/17/governor-perry-the-trans-texas-corridor-eminent-domain-do-limited-government-conservatives-need-to-worry-no/#IDComment184146096 Shhh, we are supposed to forget all of that. He's a "true" conservative now, haven't you heard? He's put that all behind him, according to the MSM, anyway. Thu, 18 Aug 2011 03:43:41 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/cdevore/2011/08/17/governor-perry-the-trans-texas-corridor-eminent-domain-do-limited-government-conservatives-need-to-worry-no/#IDComment184146096 http://original.antiwar.com/eland/2011/08/15/ron-paul-deserves-more-respect/#IDComment183840504 Just remember, for every person who does what you are going to do, Ron Paul gets one vote closer to taking the nomination. They are trying desperately to shut him down, but there are many more of us than there were in 2008. Paul is much better known, too. They got off easy last time because a lot of people trusted Obama to end the wars. He hasn't done it, and this time, there is no other Democrat to focus on. The other Republicans aren't even pretending to want to end them. It won't be as easy for them this time because Paul is the only candidate who really would do it. He's going to draw people from the right and left, plus all of us Libertarians out there. One point I'd like to mention for any voters registered Independent or Democrat. You may know this, but last time, some Paul supporters were surprised to find out that their state had a closed primary. They didn't end up getting to vote. Be sure to check. Wed, 17 Aug 2011 07:00:10 +0000 http://original.antiwar.com/eland/2011/08/15/ron-paul-deserves-more-respect/#IDComment183840504 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183337307 No diversion. It's a legitimate question. Imperialism, militarism, and those "entangling alliances" set the stage for WWI. The fallout from WWI in Germany helped Hitler rise to power so, it is fair to ask whether he would ever have had that chance if it hadn't been for the first war. You can accuse people of short sighted about the threat he posed, but it can be traced back to those mistakes. Therefore, no I am not afraid that "Paul doesn't see the...threat." I'm terribly afraid that others have forgotten the original causes of the whole mess. Mon, 15 Aug 2011 19:26:23 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183337307 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183167181 You mention WWII, so what caused WWI? Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:46:50 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183167181 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183159533 You are talking about them making trouble for us in Iraq and Afghanistan, but they couldn't make trouble for us if we weren't there. We are not going to fix those countries, and it is not our problem to fix those countries. We were attacked by people who were based largely in Afghanistan so we attacked them. That part I understand, and I support, though I think we should have done it quicker and hit them harder. (Plus, I'm not sure how Pakistan keeps getting a pass, but anyway.) I don't care if these places ever set up a stable government. If their citizens get tired of it, they can fix it. If we must go to war with someone, fine, but you aren't going to win the people's hearts and trust by bombing them. Understand that, let the military do what they are there to do, and then let them come home. Make it clear that we will respond when attacked, and make them not want us to have to do that. Israel. Yes, it's true. Iran would love nothing more than to destroy Israel, and Israel would love to take out Iran and the rest of the Middle East out. I completely understand why they feel that way. Israel is threatened by the rest of those countries, but because it would cause trouble for us, we don't want them to do anything about it. If we were in the same position, we would, but we tell them to talk it out. All that aside, Israel is not the US, and the US is not Israel. We borrow money from China, who seems to love Iran so that we can defend and support Israel, while telling Israel not to defend itself because we don't want to get dragged into the mess. How does that make any sense? Mon, 15 Aug 2011 04:01:25 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183159533 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183112779 I have a little different take on that one. Santorum only seems to talk about social issues. While there are a lot of social conservatives out there, I think a lot of people are going to be looking more at the economy in the general election. I'm not saying he couldn't get the nomination, but I think he would ultimately lose when he wasn't playing to a conservative audience. Perry may play better to independents. I don't like him, but he does seem to say what a lot of people want to hear. Sun, 14 Aug 2011 23:34:33 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183112779 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183065872 No offense taken, but I would like to discuss this a little more if you're game. I'm not anti-war. There is a time and a place to fight, and should Iran get it in their heads to use a nuclear weapon, we should wipe them off of the map. We've fought on and off in the Middle East for decades. Do you believe that the Middle East is any safer or more free because of that? I do not, and I do not believe we are any safer either. Iran does not have the ability to mount a war against us. We have far more powerful enemies in the world, and we owe those enemies a lot of money. Some of those enemies are on pretty good terms with Iran. Do you think they will just allow us to start a war against Iran? If people are concerned about the possibility of nuclear warfare, this is what should concern them. Also, there is the financial aspect to it. Simply put, the wars will end. It is the "how" that is the question. Wars are expensive, and we are broke. Either we will stop now and attempt to get back on track financially, or we will run out of money and be forced to stop then. A financial meltdown would seriously weaken our ability to respond to an imminent threat, and I believe, if some of our enemies smell blood, we are in trouble. Sun, 14 Aug 2011 19:21:47 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment183065872 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment182943321 True. In fact, I've discussed this with several people in my family. We are Paul supporters, but if Bachmann is the nominee, she'll have our votes. That's more than I can say for some of the other candidates. I'm not sure I trust her to follow through with what she says, but maybe I'm wrong on that. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. I do not agree with a lot of what she says and does, and some of those things particularly disturb me. However, on those issues, she is no worse than Obama, and on other issues she is much better. I don't think she would be particularly bad. I'm just not sure she'd be that great either. She's one of the candidates I would vote for, though I would be less than thrilled about it. Sun, 14 Aug 2011 07:28:54 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment182943321 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment182938425 Did he give them fake Iowa IDs, too? It's a straw poll. Politicians bus supporters in. Paul did nothing different than what Bachmann did this year or what Romney did in the last election. None of those candidate got their numbers from people who just happened to drop by and vote. It's nice to win or place near the top for the sake of exposure, but it's not going to make or break a candidate if he has the money to keep going. I know Paul does. I'm sure Bachmann's campaign isn't hurting either, and we all know Romney has money. It doesn't change much for those candidates. The ones who will really be affected are the ones who didn't have a strong base going in and didn't manage to do well in the poll, either. Santorum, Gingrich, I'm looking at you. Sun, 14 Aug 2011 06:57:40 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/13/bachmann-wins-iowa-straw-poll/#IDComment182938425 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/12/friday-free-for-all-perry-edition/#IDComment182814543 As for trying to convince you of anything, you assume too much. I do not debate unless someone wants to debate. It is not my place to argue with you with you and try to force you to vote for someone or support some cause, and it is unproductive to attempt to change the mind of someone who is set against something. It would be a waste of my time and yours. By trying to force my views on someone else, I succeed only in offending them, and if I offend someone, they are not likely to trust my judgment on any issue. I will not bend my views simply to please a person, but neither will I attempt to force them to see things my way. However, I do take offense to your suggestion that I need to justify anything on this issue. Justification is for those who are on the wrong side of it. Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:01:50 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/12/friday-free-for-all-perry-edition/#IDComment182814543 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/12/friday-free-for-all-perry-edition/#IDComment182814468 What an incredibly rude answer. There is certainly no need to attack me for asking a question. I asked a question out of curiosity. I often do this in real life and on message boards when I don't understand someone's stance on a given issue. It is a chance for me to learn something. Even if I don't agree with what the person says, I can at least try to understand where they are coming from. I do not simply dismiss someone's opinion without at least considering their side of things because I am smart enough to know that I don't know everything. I try to keep an open mind, and if I discover that I'm wrong about something, I will change. It's happened many times. We are humans. It is part of our nature to base our views on emotion, but that is a mistake. Like everyone else, I am guilty of that sometimes. If ever I feel the need to avoid facts and logic to protect my ideas on a subject, then I know I need to rethink my ideas. The only way to be certain that my reasoning is sound is to allow it to be challenged. THAT is why I asked the question. Sat, 13 Aug 2011 18:01:24 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/12/friday-free-for-all-perry-edition/#IDComment182814468 http://tv.breitbart.com/ron-pauls-stunned-silence-wins-awkward-moment-award/#IDComment182680999 Neither. Murder is illegal AND immoral simply because it infringes upon the natural rights of another. (And no, I didn't miss the point of the question. I was just trying to illustrate how the whole thing works. We don't need to the government to legislate morality. We just need to protect the individual rights of each person, and the rest works itself out.) Sat, 13 Aug 2011 05:59:45 +0000 http://tv.breitbart.com/ron-pauls-stunned-silence-wins-awkward-moment-award/#IDComment182680999 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/12/friday-free-for-all-perry-edition/#IDComment182678268 I respect anyone's right to vote for the candidate of his/her choice, but I do have to wonder after reading all of your posts precisely what it is about Paul that you disagree with. He's pro life. (Check his site if you don't believe me. He wants to end the debate about abortion by defining life as beginning at conception through the Sanctity of Life Act.) He wants to end the wars immediately. He wants the Patriot Act gone. He's not a fan of the UN. He wants to end the Federal Reserve. He's been saying all of this stuff for years, and has the record to back it up. I'm not trying to convince you to vote for him. I'm just really curious. Sat, 13 Aug 2011 05:43:49 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/12/friday-free-for-all-perry-edition/#IDComment182678268 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/11/spokesman-gov-rick-perry-running-for-president/#IDComment182323843 Ha, they can't hit the thumbs down fast enough, can they? The same people who talk about "Palin Derangement Syndrome" freak out at the very mention of him. The funniest thing is that they say the same things about him that they rip other people for saying about her. They misrepresent his positions in order to make it fit their idea that he's crazy. I'm not sure if this is intentional or not. He's got my vote and the votes of most of my family. I've got quite a few friends who are voting for him, as well. Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:11:14 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/11/spokesman-gov-rick-perry-running-for-president/#IDComment182323843 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/11/spokesman-gov-rick-perry-running-for-president/#IDComment182307645 I'm with you on that one. There are some I will vote for and some I will not. A lot of people don't want to hear that, but you are correct. These guys will say anything to get elected, but we need to pay attention to what they've done, not what they say. If we take the House and the Senate, Obama will have a hard time doing much more damage. If we vote in some liberal Republican, and we take both houses, they will back him to the death and spend the country into oblivion. It will empower the very people that the tea party has been working to get rid of, and it will make us look like total hypocrites. In fact, we WOULD be hypocrites. I'm not interested in handing the power to the Republican party. I'm interested in seeing the country get back on track. Another big government administration will be the end of it, and it doesn't matter whether the president has an "R" or a "D" behind his name. I don't much appreciate being called an idiot simply because I actually have principles. So for all of you who are, once again, willing to hold your nose and vote, don't lecture the rest of us. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 23:19:27 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/publius/2011/08/11/spokesman-gov-rick-perry-running-for-president/#IDComment182307645 http://biggovernment.com/jbradley/2011/08/10/a-message-from-your-federal-government/#IDComment182242147 Yeah, that pretty much sums it up, I think. Even many of those who understand that something must be done seem incapable of fully grasping the situation. It's not a matter of "changing some things." We have to look at the entire system we've built and start making major changes. I keep hearing people say, "Sure cut this, but we shouldn't touch _____." Of course, the next person is all for cutting that but not something else, and I'm not sure that there are many out there who understand that it is all on the verge of coming down around them. If people don't get this through their heads, we are in some serious trouble, and of course most of the politicians and MSM aren't going to be honest about it. Actually, though, I'm not sure if most of them get, either. Thu, 11 Aug 2011 18:31:55 +0000 http://biggovernment.com/jbradley/2011/08/10/a-message-from-your-federal-government/#IDComment182242147