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Davy, you only addressed one half of the blanket statement you made about leftists. Your statement supposes that every left-leaning person hates independence, hates personal freedom, and all of them are Marxists. You are too smart for that kind of intellectual dishonesty. You can't possibly believe that there is no diversity of thought among people who lean left, politically. I am not saying that there isn't any truth, but I will say that it's not the entirety of truth.

There are some things to understand about our current situation:

Most people in power right now have absolutely no interest in doing things "for the good of the people," even though that is always their stated intention. They have a money-making agenda for themselves, and that's it.

If you can't see that the majority in control are purposely hurting the U.S. then you're not looking closely enough.

These people know that physics and economics will not allow for a carbon-neutral future anytime soon, but they don't care. Why?

Well, say you're the head of JP Morgan, one of the richest and most powerful institutions on Earth. You have enough power to influence the government. You have some buddies that head Blackrock, Vanguard, and State Street, and they will work with you.

So you and your buddies get together and decide to push the government to require the things you invest in by creating a fake crisis that makes the people panic. For instance, you invest in carbon removal technologies because climate change is going to end humanity:

JP Morgan Bets Big On Carbon Removal

They have a wonderful plan to help humanity:

Scaling technological innovation, including around carbon removal, will play a critical role in the transition to a more sustainable future.

Man, that sounds beautiful, am I right? So the clueless jump on board.

Now sure, if you look a little closer, you might find some unfortunate facts like, "JP Morgan is also one of the biggest financiers of fossil fuel projects" and "carbon dioxide only makes up 0.04% of the atmosphere" But the clueless don't look into facts, and they wouldn't let facts get in the way of their warm-and-fuzzy story anyhow.

So JP Morgan and their buddies lobby governments around the world to move us toward a "carbon-neutral future." They line up all of their investments, build their companies, create their PR campaigns, and then reap the rewards as governments around the world force us to purchase their products.

It's gone on since the beginning of time.

Yes, we should try to reduce pollution. But we should stop pretending we can ignore the laws of physics and economics to accomplish this. We should also recognize that the players in this game have their own profits in mind, not the well-being of the human race. Lastly, remember that the best way for governments and large corporations to gain more power and influence is to create a crisis and then offer the only acceptable solution themselves.

I've stayed out of politics and news my entire life because its a cesspool. I always said I would only get involved if our society deteriorated to where it was necessary. When they launched WWIII with COVID and started grooming our children, it became necessary. I hate it, but you must be vigilant these days.

Davy, you only addressed one half of the blanket statement you made about leftists. Your statement supposes that every left-leaning person hates independence, hates personal freedom, and all of them are Marxists. You are too smart for that kind of intellectual dishonesty. You can't possibly believe that there is no diversity of thought among people who lean left, politically. I am not saying that there isn't any truth, but I will say that it's not the entirety of truth.

Because the left is bases upon collectivism, it can not by its very nature be separated from Marxism. The very essence of the left is and always has been to eradicate individualism and personal freedom.

Pick a left policy, any policy, you will find it is about the state, the collective enforcing it's will upon the individual. Even with unions, which unfortunately we could benefit from in some ways as drivers, but the risk involved with the corrupt nature of unions outweighs any possible benefits.

The right on the other hand, by its nature is geared towards individual freedom and responsibility. It is only until you get to the very extreme far right that you get to statism and fascism, which ironically enough is the exact same result of the left.

To bring it back to our industry, it's based upon individual results and freedom, the right serves us far better than the left.

One simple way of looking at right vs left is this:

If you could be a lion, which lion would you rather be?

Lion #1 is completely free. He has no cage, no rules, no limits, and he lives in the wild. He also has no guarantees. He must find his own food, manage his own health, and physically protect himself and his territory.

Lion #2 lives in a zoo. He lives in a cage, and he has rules and limits imposed upon him that keep him and the people around him safe. He has guaranteed healthcare, food, and physical safety but no say in his environment or his life.

Everyone at first will say they want to be Lion #1, because that's how we'd all like to see ourselves and we'd all like to have our way in life. But as they say, everyone wants to be a beast until they learn what a beast must do.

Davy, you're sharp as a razor. I always enjoy your insights.

Davy, you only addressed one half of the blanket statement you made about leftists. Your statement supposes that every left-leaning person hates independence, hates personal freedom, and all of them are Marxists. You are too smart for that kind of intellectual dishonesty. You can't possibly believe that there is no diversity of thought among people who lean left, politically. I am not saying that there isn't any truth, but I will say that it's not the entirety of truth.

Because the left is bases upon collectivism, it can not by its very nature be separated from Marxism. The very essence of the left is and always has been to eradicate individualism and personal freedom.

Pick a left policy, any policy, you will find it is about the state, the collective enforcing it's will upon the individual. Even with unions, which unfortunately we could benefit from in some ways as drivers, but the risk involved with the corrupt nature of unions outweighs any possible benefits.

The right on the other hand, by its nature is geared towards individual freedom and responsibility. It is only until you get to the very extreme far right that you get to statism and fascism, which ironically enough is the exact same result of the left.

To bring it back to our industry, it's based upon individual results and freedom, the right serves us far better than the left.

Ok, I will go along. I don't wholly agree with your statements, but I don't see any harm in continuing to engage you in a thoughtful discussion.

The left is against the culture war practice of banning books, some of the books being banned are for legitimate reasons, while others are completely ridiculous. How does resisting book banning fit into a Marxist idea of collective thought, when resisting book banning literally means that students should be able to access information on any topic, even topics that are contrary to the convictions of those resisting book banning?

The left is against the culture war practice of banning books, some of the books being banned are for legitimate reasons

That statement is contradictory. Who gets to determine the legitimate reason?

Nobody wants to ban books, but children shouldn't be able to access books that are sexual in nature without the consent of a parent. My kid can't get into a Rated R movie by himself, but the books that school libraries are making accessible to kids wander into an x rating.

No offense taken.

That's good to hear, Davey. I often play a little Devil's advocate when it comes to pointing out statements that seem a little too broad for my taste and, based on some of my opinions, might errantly sweep me and other moderate thinkers into the dustbin of what I consider radicalism.

It's also a reminder that people who tend to vote for a Democrat more often than republican (and vice-versa) don't necesssarily agree 100% with the agenda of the political party they vote for.

It is difficult to exist these days in the gray areas when our leaders try to make everything either black or white; either one extreme or the other.

Ideally I'd love to see the area between the black and white not as a battle line, but as a place where mutually beneficial ideas are freely considered and exchanged.

I always enjoy thoughtful conversations and debates, it's difficult to find these days, it's an oasis when we can sit down and share our viewpoints, differening as they may be, so that we can learn and grow.

I agree that neither party can suit an individual fully. I also see a large degree of tribalism take place. Meaning it's often not too much different than a football game where the spectators support their team simply because it's their team.

Because my wife escaped from a communist nation (East Germany) and suffered painfully under that rule, I have a personal bias against leftist ideology among other reasons as well.

I appreciate the opportunity to discuss my views here Brett and thank you. Hopefully I haven't derailed the original thread too much.

I'm returning from Romania and Germany tomorrow and as such back to work. One interesting item of note, Romania was the only nation that the fall of the USSR ended in violence. They tried their despotic ruler and his wife and then promptly executed them by firing squad.

Thanks to everyone who kept the conversation respectful and listened to understand than to be understood.

The left is against the culture war practice of banning books, some of the books being banned are for legitimate reasons

That statement is contradictory. Who gets to determine the legitimate reason?

Nobody wants to ban books, but children shouldn't be able to access books that are sexual in nature without the consent of a parent. My kid can't get into a Rated R movie by himself, but the books that school libraries are making accessible to kids wander into an x rating.

Please stop the blanket statements. There are plenty of people going to school board meetings to advocate for the banning of books like Huckleberry Finn and other literary classics. Florida has a school district where one single individual filed one complaint and successfully got 3 books banned because this mother didn't like parts of what was included. It's common sense as to what is and isn't appropriate for school libraries. I am not someone who thinks that any and every book should be available for kids to read because there are books that are not appropriate for kids, but banning a book from a school library because it has one word in it that causes a parent to get in his or her feelings is no different than the woke culture people get upset about.

Don't tell me no one wants to ban books.