What is pulling America Apart?

[Bradskii]

I didn't know there were so many ways to direct traffic at an interchange. This shows 30!

Where in heaven's name is this thread going..?

 

[timothyu]

Where in heaven's name is this thread going..?

Wherever the road signs lead

 

[A2SG]

At the signpost up ahead, your next stop...

-- A2SG, what was the deal with that plastic doll anyway....

 

[Bradskii]

I recall reading that in times past, if one was escorting a lady along the pavement (ok, sidewalk for some of you), then one would stay on her left which would enable one to freely draw one's sword, assuming one was right handed and the sword was carried on one's left, should one encounter a ruffian of low morals and evil intent.

So England (God save the King) decided that being on the left was the better option. Those scurrilous continentals, who were more often than not at war with Albion, decided to be contrary and chose the right. Or maybe there are more lefties in France and like minded countries.

 

[Hans Blaster]

Where in heaven's name is this thread going..?

In circles?

Somehow I managed to navigate my first circle of cars without crashing, and more astonishingly, I went around backwards.

 

[RDKirk]

I recall reading that in times past, if one was escorting a lady along the pavement (ok, sidewalk for some of you), then one would stay on her left which would enable one to freely draw one's sword, assuming one was right handed and the sword was carried on one's left, should one encounter a ruffian of low morals and evil intent.

So England (God save the King) decided that being on the left was the better option. Those scurrilous continentals, who were more often than not at war with Albion, decided to be contrary and chose the right. Or maybe there are more lefties in France and like minded countries.

I had read long ago that in London a gentleman walked on the building side of the sidewalk (which makes more sense to me because there is always a side of the street to walk on...but it's not always paved) with his lady on the street side because danger--ruffians lurking in a doorway or more likely, mess from a window--would come from the building side. I've never been to England, so I have not observed how consistent that is as a rule.

But in the US, a man walked beside his lady on the street side because trouble in the US was more likely from the street side. At any rate, "street side" became the rule in the US.

I never thought either reason was consistent enough to prove a rule. But in deference to the rule, I walk on the street side where there doesn't appear to be danger, but have no compunction against switching to the building side if that looks the more dicey.

 

[wing2000]

The roundabout I take on my commute has been uneventful, but I can see how it might intimidate drivers who are new to traffic circles.

In recent years, Arizona has constructed roundabouts across the state, including two near our home that we use daily. With all the winter visitors in town, I never assume they know the rules of the traffic circle.

 

[RoBo1988]

I think the following issues are pulling the USA apart.

- Our failing public education system. The US has lagged behind other developed countries for quite some time now.

In primary Ed, stick with the 3r's ; when they get older give them (with their parents involved) opportunities to go in more specialized directions

- The increase in racism as we slip further behind. We seemed to be making great progress until the education system took a nosedive.

As long as there are humans, there will be racism towards someone - it's one of the products, of an unregenerate heart. However, the media loves to connect the dots to include everyone when an individual is at fault.

- Ideological purity tests leading to extremism on the left and on the right. Where did the liberal Republicans and conservative Democrats go?

Liberal Republicans are available by the score; conservative Democrats are extinct - they were run out of the party during the Obama years.

- Social media echo chambers that foster the extremism mentioned above
- Social media leading to depression in girls and other mental health issues

CF is as close to social media as I get. I left Facebook, 3 years ago when I couldn't say anything without a "fact check" popping up on my post.

- The opioid epidemic is tearing apart families via addiction and death

I'm not sure what government can do for this other than catch the pushers. In many cases; "the heart of the problem is the problem of the heart " broad brush solutions don't help much and cost more.

- Inflation without commensurate rises in pay is tearing apart communities. Middle class shrinks as the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

"You cannot replace ball bearing factories with amusement parks and hedge funds " JH Kunstler
That's precisely what the USA is doing - much of what passes for "manufacturing " is really just assembly of foreign parts. The USA doesn't make too much of anything these days. I have 3 vehicles from what used to be the "Big 3" - 2 are made in Canada, my 2001 Chevy pickup is USA made. Until a lobbyist is no longer benefiting from a so called "trade deal " there will be no solution to this.

 

[RDKirk]

In primary Ed, stick with the 3r's ; when they get older give them (with their parents involved) opportunities to go in more specialized directions

[/QUOTE]

I generally agree with that, presuming that by "3R's" you mean the traditional basics (including a bit of art, a bit of history, et cetera).

As long as there are humans, there will be racism towards someone - it's one of the products, of an unregenerate heart. However, the media loves to connect the dots to include everyone when an individual is at fault.

I disagree that there must be "racism" as the modern concept of race was only created since the 1400s or so. Certainly concepts of "us" and "them" are endemic to humanity, but the boundaries can be determined through early training on different bases than skin color.

Liberal Republicans are available by the score; conservative Democrats are extinct - they were run out of the party during the Obama years.

I'd say it happened during the Clinton years.

"You cannot replace ball bearing factories with amusement parks and hedge funds " JH Kunstler
That's precisely what the USA is doing - much of what passes for "manufacturing " is really just assembly of foreign parts. The USA doesn't make too much of anything these days. I have 3 vehicles from what used to be the "Big 3" - 2 are made in Canada, my 2001 Chevy pickup is USA made. Until a lobbyist is no longer benefiting from a so called "trade deal " there will be no solution to this.

This is for sure true. I remember what an economics professor told us in a course I took at the University of the Philippines in the early 80s: "The Philippines will always be a Third World economy as long as we export tomatoes and import tomato paste." Manufactured goods have more value than raw materials.

I recall in the latter 80s of the second Reagan administration and the succeeding Bush administration the financial pundits were calling for the US to move away from a production economy (which struck me as insane even then), and that really accelerated during the Clinton administration as manufacturing began moving to China. Then I noted the trade imbalance as China was buying raw materials from the US, but selling manufactured goods to the US; even by the 90s, China was treating the US like a Third World nation.

 

[Pommer]

Wherever the road signs lead

Burma Shave

 

[RoBo1988]

generally agree with that, presuming that by "3R's" you mean the traditional basics (including a bit of art, a bit of history, et cetera).

Readin' Rightin' and 'Rithmatic and general history without debatable topics - yet . Primary kids will eventually form their own opinions about the civil war, treatment of native Americans etc. as they get older.

Certainly concepts of "us" and "them" are endemic to humanity, but the boundaries can be determined through early training on different bases than skin color.

I'm thinking about Miriam ridiculing Moses wife (she was Ethiopian as I remember -so possibly black), and the Samaritans; the Pharisees would take the bypass around Samaria.

I'd say it happened during the Clinton years.

Ohio's Tony Hall (Democrat, pro life,)retired in the early 2000s so that's probably correct.

 

[Trogdor the Burninator]

World’s richest nation ever, runs out of water.
Seriously?

We can thank climate change and, to a certain extent, population growth for that. More people and less water.

Of course, they can throw money at the problem and build more desalination plants, but that comes with a cost, both in money (obviously) as well as energy (renewable energy built to power the desal plant can't be used to remove carbon from the rest of the grid).

 

[timothyu]

We can thank climate change and, to a certain extent, population growth for that.

Yes but don't forget how we bounced back after a decade of heat and drought in the 30's, so there is hope yet

 

[RDKirk]

I'm thinking about Miriam ridiculing Moses wife (she was Ethiopian as I remember -so possibly black), and the Samaritans; the Pharisees would take the bypass around Samaria.

When the bible says "Ethiopian" or "Cushite," it does, indeed mean sub-Saharan. However, it's questionable whether Miriam's issue was because Moses' wife was specifically dark-skinned or that she wasn't a daughter of Shem. Either way, God's response to Miriam indicated that in His opinion, their "us" included those who believed in Him, regardless of race.

 

[Aryeh Jay]

Burma Shave

You can't be that old.

 

[RoBo1988]

When the bible says "Ethiopian" or "Cushite," it does, indeed mean sub-Saharan. However, it's questionable whether Miriam's issue was because Moses' wife was specifically dark-skinned or that she wasn't a daughter of Shem. Either way, God's response to Miriam indicated that in His opinion, their "us" included those who believed in Him, regardless of race.

The point I was attempting, was that racism is not exclusive to America, and that it is more of an individual thing (although the individuals always seem to find company)than it is societal, in spite of what Eric Holder (Obama's attorney general) may think.

 

[RDKirk]

The point I was attempting, was that racism is not exclusive to America, and that it is more of an individual thing (although the individuals always seem to find company)than it is societal, in spite of what Eric Holder (Obama's attorney general) may think.

Racism, as we know it, isn't uniquely American, but it's also not ancient. It's modern.

 

[DaisyDay]

It certainly doesn't help when a presidential candidate just claims widespread voter fraud (without any supporting evidence) and puts heaps of effort into eroding their supporter's trust in elections.

It also doesn't help with them also attacking pretty much all the other institutions e.g. FBI, CIA, DOJ, Courts etc claiming that they are all biased and political.

In a very real way, it is worse than actual fraud because if the fraud were real, something could be done about it but when it's false, there is nothing to be done - nothing constructive leastways.

 

[timothyu]

but when it's false, there is nothing to be done - nothing constructive leastways.

The media is a prime example of this as two sides pretend to battle it out with the prime purpose of division and destabilizing the people while the owners remain untouched,

This clip is from Davos last week by the Heritage Foundation and Doctor K Roberts who puts the elites who are behind the destabilization (WEF - a globalist world government of unelected elites) in their place.

 

[DaisyDay]

My wife sold real estate in the Seattle area in the early 2000's. She and I predicted the housing crash because of one metric: They changed the qualification for a home loan from a monthly payment of 30% of your income to 50%. We saw the writing on the wall. Everyone involved in the industry that put any thinking to it was able to figure that out. I saw my barber - he'd been one his whole life and was in his forties - buy a huge (3,500+ sq ft) brand new home in the Seattle area with "no money down" and an ARM. That was simply nuts. We rented throughout the whole price runup because rent was dirt cheap. The rental units were being drained of tenants that were buying homes with no money down and lousy credit.

There was a joke going around at the time about a guy that couldn't rent an apartment becuase his credit score was so poor. So he had to buy a house instead.

This time it's a LOT worse. The borders are open because we need all the people we can get to keep the economy propped up. At least that's my theory. Same goes for Europe.

Yes, predatory lending was a thing for both housing and student loans. It's even worse for students because even bankruptcy won't eliminate the debt. Having a mortgage underwater is bad enough, but when you are on the hook for a bogus, fraudulent education debt without the education, the lenders have a major responsibility.