Top Ten Things That Won't "Change" Under Obama

[Hubbs]

Interesting list here:

10. Global Warming

What? But with oil executives out of the White House, the entire country will be run on wind, solar, and pixie energy!

Well, yes, there will almost certainly be more emphasis placed upon alternative energies for the next four years, and with plenty of good reason - regardless of your feelings about global warming, any reduction of America's dependence upon foreign oil is almost unquestionably a good thing. As far as Al Gore's nemesis goes, however, there's a bit of a problem with believing that we're about to see a sudden end to carbon emissions, or even a reduction in their worldwide levels. You see, that lovely fact that Joe Biden loved to throw out during the election - that China is building two extremely dirty coal power plants per week - applies to much of the industrializing world at similar rates. Half of the human population is rapidly advancing on Western civilization, and that advancement isn't being done with polar bears in mind. The rate of pollution increase in the developing world is greater than the rate at which we can realistically decrease America's carbon output, so any efforts we make to bring down our greenhouse emissions won't actually reduce their overall levels - they'll just increase at a slower rate.

But, hey, there is still a chance that all of this matters about as much to the Earth's climate as Joe the Plumber.

9. The War on Drugs

For what seems like the 44th consecutive administration, absolutely nothing will be done to change the budgetary black hole that is the War on Drugs. Billions of dollars are spent every year at every level of government in the endless crusade to "save" innocent Americans from the evil, godless, perhaps even terrorist-loving substances which are deemed to be illegal almost completely at random. Many of the items you can pick up from your local pharmacy are actually worse than most narcotics, and a good number of them are just slight variations on otherwise banned substances. Reigning supreme above all other idiocy is, of course, the continued status of marijuana. What more Americans need to realize is that the "fight" against pot isn't just a matter of whether or not you actually use it; billions of your dollars are being spent to "protect" you and your Doritos from the college kids who toke up once a week in the apartment down the hallway. In a time when we're going into debt more quickly than Sarah Palin at a high-end department store, is this really what we want to be spending money on?

8. The BCS

Obama made a promise to end the brutally unfair and blatantly elitist structure of college football during his pre-election interview on Monday Night Football, but no President has ever forced the NCAA to adopt a playoff format at the FCS level, and it's incredibly unlikely that Obama will be the first. The college administrators of major football schools are a cabal rivaled only by OPEC, and their corrupt grip on the joys and sorrows of millions of drunken co-eds is nearly airtight. Rather than attempting to end their reign of terror, Obama will probably spend his time on things that he'll weakly try to argue are "more important," like poverty, or war, or healthcare. If by some miracle he actually does manage to wrest power away from the Axis of Evil of the sporting world and institute a playoff system, I will instantly consider Barack Obama to be the greatest President in American history.

Link with the rest here.

(This is one of those things that I think a lot of people on this board will find legitimately interesting. Apologies if anyone doesn't like me linking to a site I'm associated with - I only do it if I'd do it regardless of the site it came from. If anyone would rather I don't post anything from MPP, please let me know. I'm not looking for cheap hits, and don't want to come off that way.)

[Jumbo]

Everyone notice that after all the wailing about being glad when the election is over so we can get past all the inane and even ugly crap in all the political threads, there are just as many being started today as ever?

What a shock, eh?

[PokerPacker]

Everyone notice that after all the wailing about being glad when the election is over so we can get past all the inane and even ugly crap in all the political threads, there are just as many being started today as ever?

What a shock, eh?

I think there are more.

[TheGoodBits]

Everyone notice that after all the wailing about being glad when the election is over so we can get past all the inane and even ugly crap in all the political threads, there are just as many being started today as ever?

What a shock, eh?

You might be guilty of a thread-jack, lol... But yeah, hopefully this will settle down in a few days.

[Hubbs]

Everyone notice that after all the wailing about being glad when the election is over so we can get past all the inane and even ugly crap in all the political threads, there are just as many being started today as ever?

What a shock, eh?

Not everyone was wailing.

(Seriously, we need a better tongue-sticking-out smiley. This thing looks like a Rastafarian with a birth defect.)

[Califan007 The Constipated]

Good article...ti's very pragmatic and realistic at how it looks at those 10 topics.

[Jumbo]

Not everyone was wailing.

(Seriously, we need a better tongue-sticking-out smiley. This thing looks like a Rastafarian with a birth defect.)

Agreed, amigo. And let me not be party to any ongoing hi-jack, so let's end that now. This is a fun article. Obama is coming into a presidency heavily laden with serious challenges on all fronts. I personally would love to see a major re-working of the WOD but it is simply going to be ione of many real problems that will have to wait it's turn, and may not be addressed for another term or two.

[Hubbs]

Agreed, amigo. And let me not be party to any ongoing hi-jack, so let's end that now. This is a fun article. Obama is coming into a presidency heavily laden with serious challenges on all fronts. I personally would love to see a major re-working of the WOD but it is simply going to be ione of many real problems that will have to wait it's turn, and may not be addressed for another term or two.

Well, I'm glad you see it as fun, at least. And it's true what Obama faces - the country isn't exactly in its best shape right now. I'd say what this article intends to highlight is the lack of truly creative thinking in both parties. There are a lot of policy changes that would streamline America's government that are simply ignored by both Democrats and Republicans, and it's very frustrating to someone like me, who would like real "change" beyond a campaign slogan.

[Big Weirdo]

If he doesn't change the BCS i'll regret my vote. I was undecided until he said that. Good thing he did that MNF interview!

[Hubbs]

If he doesn't change the BCS i'll regret my vote. I was undecided until he said that. Good thing he did that MNF interview!

If Obama institutes a playoff system in college football, I'll worship the ground he walks on.

[Big Weirdo]

If Obama institutes a playoff system in college football, I'll worship the ground he walks on.

I know I was joking but how cool would it be if he could do that? I mean seriously influence the people at the NCAA to consider it and change it. That would be monumental. And it would ****ing awesome for college football!

Lets start a campaign Hubbs. Meet me down at the Capitol on Jan 20th and we'll have signs that say:

"The BCS -- You promised!"

[SUSkinsFan]

The article lost my attention when I read this:

The same will hold true for however long Obama occupies the (formerly) White House.

[HoyaSkins28]

i did cast my vote to change the bcs i do believe that is the main problem in america right now. and for the record he made no promises chris berman asked him what he would change about sports and he said he would want a college football playoff, of course he wont act on it the president has other things to do. and before you get angry just look how much worse all of those things got under bush. even if it doesnt work its time for an attempt to change these issues. so dont complain, support the man, he'll do a great job.

[Hubbs]

I know I was joking but how cool would it be if he could do that? I mean seriously influence the people at the NCAA to consider it and change it. That would be monumental. And it would ****ing awesome for college football!

Lets start a campaign Hubbs. Meet me down at the Capitol on Jan 20th and we'll have signs that say:

"The BCS -- You promised!"

Not just signs. We need t-shirts, hats, bumper stickers, the whole shabang.

[Koolblue13]

Agreed, amigo. And let me not be party to any ongoing hi-jack, so let's end that now. This is a fun article. Obama is coming into a presidency heavily laden with serious challenges on all fronts. I personally would love to see a major re-working of the WOD but it is simply going to be ione of many real problems that will have to wait it's turn, and may not be addressed for another term or two.

HR 5843 and HR 5842. Defederalize and allow the states to chose.

Call your rep and make it happen.

[MurrayH81]

Well, I'm glad you see it as fun, at least. And it's true what Obama faces - the country isn't exactly in its best shape right now. I'd say what this article intends to highlight is the lack of truly creative thinking in both parties. There are a lot of policy changes that would streamline America's government that are simply ignored by both Democrats and Republicans, and it's very frustrating to someone like me, who would like real "change" beyond a campaign slogan.

It's not a lack of creative thinking for the individuals or parties. It's the focus of that thinking that is the problem. When your focus is on yourself (getting re-elected) or your party (doing what they tell you so that you have their support for your re-election campaign) or influential constituents/corporations/industries that can aid or thwart your ability to get re-elected, then all your creative energy is spent there, instead of on what you were hired to/promised to do.

I'm not sure of the best solution for that, but I think that is the crux of the identifiable problem.

[China]

Finally, there's the issue of one of the biggest wastes of time in contemporary American life: the penny. Few things are more useless than a penny nowadays. When I'm handed several pennies as change for a purchase, I don't feel that I'm getting money back so much as I feel that the cashier is saying, "Sweet Jesus, I don't want these things. You take them." In fact, it actually costs the government more to make a penny than the penny is worth, meaning that we lose millions of dollars each year on the production of pennies. Unfortunately, no one in Washington has embraced the easy solution to this problem - stop making pennies, and tell everyone to round prices to the nearest nickel within a couple of years.

QFT. Abolish the penny already.

[Hubbs]

It's not a lack of creative thinking for the individuals or parties. It's the focus of that thinking that is the problem. When your focus is on yourself (getting re-elected) or your party (doing what they tell you so that you have their support for your re-election campaign) or influential constituents/corporations/industries that can aid or thwart your ability to get re-elected, then all your creative energy is spent there, instead of on what you were hired to/promised to do.

I'm not sure of the best solution for that, but I think that is the crux of the identifiable problem.

Here's one possible solution - Congressional term limits.

[MurrayH81]

Here's one possible solution - Congressional term limits.

Yes, that certainly is one. There may be unintended or bad consequences with that approach, and of course, unless you are talking about single term limits, because the campaigning would still occur up to the point where the limits did not allow for that to make sense. Not to say that no good things would come from that approach either.

I was trying real hard to not hi-jack this thread by posting ideas for making those improvements, and having a discussion on them, but if you want to do so, I'd happily engage in that, since I believe that campaign reform will help this country in a large way.

[Hubbs]

Yes, that certainly is one. There may be unintended or bad consequences with that approach, and of course, unless you are talking about single term limits, because the campaigning would still occur up to the point where the limits did not allow for that to make sense. Not to say that no good things would come from that approach either.

I was trying real hard to not hi-jack this thread by posting ideas for making those improvements, and having a discussion on them, but if you want to do so, I'd happily engage in that, since I believe that campaign reform will help this country in a large way.

I'd lean towards single four-year limits, myself. Our government was originally designed to be run by citizen legislators, not career politicians.

And hijack away. I have a dorky inner drive to talk about this kind of stuff.

[Gibbsisgod2006]

That was a pretty witty article. But the one thing is that the War on Drugs as a black hole on spending is not necessarily true America has made a lot of strides in reducing the traffic flow of drugs into our nation, have they have stopped it 100% no but it is hard when the Cartels are bringing their shipments over in Submarines now.

[Bang]

I don't know,, seeing the BCS on the list.. As a PSU fan,

this better be priority one.

~Bang

[Hubbs]

That was a pretty witty article. But the one thing is that the War on Drugs as a black hole on spending is not necessarily true America has made a lot of strides in reducing the traffic flow of drugs into our nation, have they have stopped it 100% no but it is hard when the Cartels are bringing their shipments over in Submarines now.

If I wanted to get my hands on some pot right now, it would quite literally take me less than ten minutes.

[Gibbsisgod2006]

If I wanted to get my hands on some pot right now, it would quite literally take me less than ten minutes.

I said it wasn't 100% but the reduction of the inflow of Drugs like cocaine has been drastically down, that pot you can get might be homegrown for all you know. Think about it where do think you the Cartels would make more money here or Europe?

[MurrayH81]

I said it wasn't 100% but the reduction of the inflow of Drugs like cocaine has been drastically down, that pot you can get might be homegrown for all you know. Think about it where do think you the Cartels would make more money here or Europe?

Any drug that is used recreationally is available in nearly any end-user quantity within 30 minutes, anywhere in populated America.

The comment regarding the war on drugs being a black hole is that there is little return on the money spent. Yeah, sure, you can't buy the stuff at the Farmer's Market or at Wal-Mart, but that really wasn't happening before the WOD started anyway. But if your criteria is winning (e.g. no drugs available, anytime, anywhere) than I think you might have to agree that we are doing a horrible job at that, and essentially wasting our money.