decocker

Leave the Amish alone.

he started it.

imo, the liberal/conservative nonsense is nothing more than a distraction. imagine how much we could accomplish if all the bipartisan nonsense was eliminated. imagine if we could simply focus on detecting problems and finding solutions without all the spin.

very basic differences are what drives us to pick a side, and picking a side when trying to unify for the sake of national problem solving/solutions is counterproductive.

obviously, liberals and conservatives will always exist and while it's possible for a person to become more liberal or conservative through life, our personalities/biologies in these ideals are set. imo there is no benefit to viewing conservatives and liberals to two separate teams trying to "win". in order for government to optimally function, we need both conservatives and liberals - working together.

According to the experts who study political leanings, liberals and conservatives do not just see things differently. They are different—in their personalities and even their unconscious reactions to the world around them. For example, in a study published in January, a team led by psychologist Michael Dodd and political scientist John Hibbing of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln found that when viewing a collage of photographs, conservatives' eyes unconsciously lingered 15 percent longer on repellent images, such as car wrecks and excrement—suggesting that conservatives are more attuned than liberals to assessing potential threats.

Meanwhile examining the contents of 76 college students' bedrooms, as one group did in a 2008 study, revealed that conservatives possessed more cleaning and organizational items, such as ironing boards and calendars, confirmation that they are orderly and self-disciplined. Liberals owned more books and travel-related memorabilia, which conforms with previous research suggesting that they are open and novelty-seeking.

“These are not superficial differences. They are psychologically deep,” says psychologist John Jost of New York University, a co-author of the bedroom study. “My hunch is that the capacity to organize the political world into left or right may be a part of human nature.”

Although conservatives and liberals are fundamentally different, hints are emerging about how to bring them together—or at least help them coexist. In his recent book The Righteous Mind, psychologist Jonathan Haidt of the N.Y.U. Stern School of Business argues that liberals and conservatives need not revile one another as immoral on issues such as birth control, gay marriage or health care reform. Even if these two worldviews clash, they are equally grounded in ethics, he writes. Meanwhile studies by Jost and others suggest that political views reside on a continuum that is mediated in part by universal human emotions such as fear. Under certain circumstances, everyone can shift closer to the middle—or drift further apart.

very interesting article..probably posted before

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/calling-truce-political-wars/

Not to mention he screwed up a few too many on his way up, with his failed initiatives, and even scams, like Trump University and his casinos in Atlantic City. Come to think of it, how so very representative of the GnOP. No wonder he is up in the polls.

well that's just one of the many perks of coming from money, you can afford to screw up. and not just in business ventures either. you can afford fines, you can afford lawsuits, you can afford to throw money at hair brained (-pun intended) schemes and you can afford to file bankruptcy when these schemes fail..etc etc.

Not to mention he screwed up a few too many on his way up, with his failed initiatives, and even scams, like Trump University and his casinos in Atlantic City. Come to think of it, how so very representative of the GnOP. No wonder he is up in the polls.

seriously though, i read ben carson is leading trump right now. and that pretty much sums up all anyone needs to know about the gop.

Ya think?

on occasion..

I have worked for two men that were very very successful, that started with nothing, and busted thier tails to get where they are.

I am not discounting what you are saying about being born into money giving you a huge advantage. But it is possible to succeed in America if you work hard and persevere.

Why do you think people want to come here so bad.

sorry should have picked a different font for that..

of course it's possible to succeed in america with hard work and perseverence. but it's probably more possible with a million dollar loan from daddy.

Seems to me he adapted and overcame.

all in the name of cancer causing processed meats. viva la redneck!

I don't get it

using an iron as a hotplate is a life hack. stand tall, don't let the man get you down..

FOR SALE: One-of-a-kind pink teeshirt with a logo of Trump dressed as hello kitty with a rainbow combover holding an AK. Order now and we throw in a ball of survival fudge, fart spray, and a box of ammo.....

can i get bernie dressed as hello kitty with rainbow fatigues holding an ak? please throw in a ball of government cheese, affluenza repellant and a box of ammo...

Money changes just about anything and he's got enough of it not to care what he looks like.

what are you talking about. trump is a commoner amongst commoners. he became the money he is today with nothing, nothing but hard work. 60 hour work weeks. no health insurance/saftey net. pure ingenuity. genetic excellence. and a 1 million dollar loan from his papi. and he had to pay that one million dollars back. with interest, by god. trump is nothing but an inspiring rags to riches savior for the laboring masses. oh and his hair is on fleek.

A moment of silence to appreciate the irony when someone disperses sage advice on immigration originating from someone (else) with a taste for importing hot young tawny slave girls

hey now, don't go hating on the 'regan conservative revival'

As we don't hold kids responsible for their parents illegal acts, I don't believe we should reward them either. Giving them a path to citizenship would be like giving the kids of a bank robber a path to keep the stolen money. Not right, imo.

well, i don't consider people who cross the border illegally on par with bank robbers. big difference in my mind.

just like before the last time.

except if this goes down anything like the confederate flag distraction, we're all going to be using the word illegal instead of immigrant from here on out.

this is why we can't have nice things america.

You need a Hummer? I got one

lol. surprised you're not pushing a rav4 on me.

At one time I was in favor of deportation, but I've softened a bit in my old age. I now think they should be allowed to stay in an LPR status with no path to citizenship.

i don't see the harm in a path to citizenship but i do see the harm in no path to citizenship, for those who were brought here as minors anyway.

Gun shows aren't just about guns. Some sellers were offering a wide variety of non-gun products, including thousands of survival knives, ranging from $2 folding knives to deluxe models costing hundreds of dollars.

Some tables were piled with survival rations. Others offered beef jerky or venison. One vender sold nothing but chocolate fudge.

Other vendors sold Confederate flags and "Don't Tread On Me Flags" with the yellow rattler. Others sold DVDs, mostly war movies, or books focusing on guns and military history.

Tables were piled high with T-shirts. Some were serious, with grim slogans and skulls. Some were political; one seller had shirts bearing Donald Trump's campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again."

And then there were the not so serious, like the stacks of pink T-shirts with a likeness of Hello Kitty holding an AK-47.

They wouldn't be able to collect nearly as many I would presume.

because they don't have the money? pffft. do they have any humvees to sell?

Perhaps the parents should have thought about that before breaking the laws of this country.

perhaps they should have. but what difference does it make to ponder if mom and pop made a good decision 20-25 years ago? if a child has lived in this country the majority of their life, and is not currently a criminal, i would consider their presence in this country an asset. why spend money to deport them?

You don't know our struggle

aw, you don't know what i be knowin.

I think the more appropriate thing would have been for the police to tell the owners what they have instead of scamming them. I could never in good conscience give someone a 100 usd gift card for a 2000usd collectible.

This did happen a few years ago when someone tried to hand over a Sturmgewehr that was probably worth over 5k. The cop who saw it told he woman she should put it on consignment.

if they're using funds from asset seizure, why not pay the actual value of the gun, why a bunch of gift cards?

Well not really a redneck but when you are white and from the south you are automatically labeled

be proud brother.

Students, parents and teachers have long lamented the hours that kids spend taking standardized tests, especially since the introduction of the Common Core academic standards. But just how much time each year is it?

A. Between 10-15 hours.

B. Between 20-25 hours.

C. Between 30-35 hours.

The correct answer is "B," according to a comprehensive study of 66 of the nation's big-city school districts by the Council of the Great City Schools. It said testing amounts to about 2.3 percent of classroom time for the average eighth-grader in public school. Between pre-K and 12th grade, students took about 112 mandatory standardized exams.

The study analyzed the time spent actually taking the tests, but it did not include the hours devoted to preparation ahead of the testing required by the federal government, states or local districts. It also did not include regular day-to-day classroom quizzes and tests in reading, math, science, foreign languages and more.

In connection with the study's release Saturday, President Barack Obama called for capping standardized testing at 2 percent of classroom time. Even while acknowledging that the government shares some responsibility for an over-emphasis on testing, the president said federal officials would work with states, schools and teachers to "make sure that we're not obsessing about testing."

The Obama administration still supports annual standardized tests as a necessary assessment tool, and both House and Senate versions of an update to the No Child Left Behind law would continue annual testing. But the rewrite legislation would let states decide how to use test results to determine what to do with struggling schools. Differences between the two bills still need to be worked out.

"Learning is about so much more than just filling in the right bubble," Obama said in a video released on Facebook. "So we're going to work with states, school districts, teachers, and parents to make sure that we're not obsessing about testing."

To drive the point home, Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan scheduled an Oval Office meeting Monday with teachers and school officials working to reduce testing time.

note that we're only talking about testing time here, no mention of hour many classroom hours are spent teaching the tests.

in my personal opinion, we need to get back to teaching kids how to learn and think for themselves. the amount of time that is spent on preparing for testing far surpasses the amount of time actually taking the tests. from personal experience, if you have a kid who doesn't do well with standardized testing, you'll find that once they get to middleschool, highschool - they will be tagged as a 'potential dropout' and all of their classroom assignments, teachers, etc will be tailored to preparing them for entry level employment. which back in the day would include shop or technology or beauty school (lol). but if you live in an underfunded public school system, those avenues are dead ends. now i guess entry level employment is fast food and retail, which - who needs a hs diploma for that?

Star wars fans are one step above idiots. Don't be putting words in my mouth!

cultural judgy mcjudgersons are two steps below star wars fans imo. mick foley fans trump all. socko takes cake.

I don't believe there is any combination of words or sentences that could be put together to make this issue matter one way or another, but you get a +1 for trying.

the federal government is inflexible and focused on what they feel they can control without conflict - which is nothing of importance.

immigration reform? no that interferes with the elect-ability of our politicians. removing a word from federal law, yeah that's doable, if the headlines generated amount to a bit of buzz...oh look, the house is working hard on something.