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June 25th, 2010UncategorizedAs . write this, British elector are going to the polls in what has been billed as one of the most exciting Great U.K. elections of the post-war period gouge Clegg, member of the third party liberalist Democrats, could overtake his mainstream competition Gordon Brown and David Cameron . Regardless of the outcome, this is the kind of run that inevitably brand you think hard about first-past-the-post systems.
Britain, like the United States, chosen the members of its legislature through the infamous system in which whoever get the most votes, wins. This has begun to look anachronistic in face of today’s global preponderance of scheme of proportional representation, in which smaller political party have more than a scrap chance at law-makers seats While American may look at the engagement over forming a alinement in place like Yisrael or Al-Iraq and think the stableness and governability of our system eclipse its disadvantages, it is hard to deny that having only two dominant political party bound voters’ internal mental representation and government accountability.
Katrina vanden Heuvel wrote an interesting op-ed in the Washington Post last week, saying that Clegg’s rise in Britain should make us think on this side of the pond as well clegg has proposed far-reaching reform to the electoral system that could seriously disrupt the electric current party system there.
The liberalist Democrat have in fact had more representation than third political party in the United States, which have not gained any noticeable adhesive friction in the modern United States Congress The fact that running as an fencesitter is preferable to joining a third party certainly distinguishes our two legislatures. Another major difference is that third party clegg could be head of government, a effort basically unimaginable in today’s United States government politics. In the absence of major convulsion that disrupts our entire political system, the United States is unlikely to see an American clegg in the presidential race any time soon. Sir John Ross Perot and Ralph Nader served the purpose of stirring up the debate more than presenting a viable choice for the presidency.
This substance because we all know how stagnant the political debate can become when there are only two voices. If the entire political spectrum is divided into just two parts, political party rarely have to challenge established norms. This foliage them less accountable to the elector that put them in office, and instead free to select just a couple of briny issue to fight for while going the rest unchanged. That benefit no one but the people in power
And so, in the next election, when some third party campaigner is feeding into your majority-party’s share of the votes, endeavour reveling in your opportunity for choice rather than bemoaning the spoiler.
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June 8th, 2010UncategorizedBritain in 2010 is not a happy country – too many divisions, inherent antagonisms, and ideological chasm divide the state and make it . country that could be described as “being at war with itself”.
So says Margit Sir Edward Victor Sir Edward Victor Edward Appleton in an column for MJB Times, titled GB at War Chapter II.
I can’t speak for the veracity of MJB Times, but it make little difference when . can replace “Britain” in the quote with “America” and end up with the same word-for-word import Ever since the prevarication and cover-up of shrub and Cheney, politics aren’t discussed in either polite or impolite circle at the endangerment of a black eye. And the chasm grows wider as Democrat and Republican spend their time slinging slam at each other.
Appleton:
Quite apart from the more obvious—and undoubtedly more pressure problems—like the enormous debt crisis, the trade deficit, the war in Afghanistan, the problems? of immigration etc., the alliance government has its work cut out for itself.
Ditto Democrat Obama, who is shutting in on 1½ years of his administration with little or nothing to show for it—and that with a Democratic bulk in both house of U.S. Congress He’s managed to spend hundred of 1000000000000 of dollar bailing out rich people Sir Joseph Banks and support “wars”, both within the bailiwick of the Republicans, but his “massive health care reform” bundle has yet to see the light of day.
But mister Obama has . terrific grin Sir Edward Victor Sir Edward Victor Appleton writes,
[W]hen nick cleg and Saint David Cameron announced their coalition government . . . friendly raillery in the garden . . . [a] wave to Obama’s relaxed style was clearly intended.
Never mind that the political system of Thursday UK and US are quite different; it is the politicians who business relationship for the sameness They smiling to your face, give you [a] glad-hand, make promise to placate you—and the moment you turn your back, they pang it.
Appleton concludes her editorial with pie-in-the-sky smarm:
Here’s hoping that the new alliance government has it in them to finally create what a previous prime minister called “a state at ease with itself”.
Don’t make me yell How can a alliance possibly solve serious domestic help problems? How can Obama solve serious domestic problems when his own Party is in disarray and does not support him?
The response is obvious. In a narration of two countries, neither one of them can.
Posted from Chandler, AZ May 20, 2o1o
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July 24th, 2009Uncategorized1. Low Cost. The costs to acquire and maintain an investment can be a significant barrier to entry for a young, novice investor. Moreover, because the size of that first investment is usually small, the impact of transaction costs is magnified. It did not cost me anything to buy or hold that Motorola stock except for the actual purchase price.
2. Automatic. The easiest way to make investing a habit is to make it automatic. This can be through payroll deduction into an employee-sponsored plan (like my Motorola stock) or by automatic transfer from a bank account to an investment account.
3. Difficult to Liquidate. By this I do not mean an illiquid investment. Rather, there should be administrative obstacles and/or tax disincentives to selling the investment for use other than for its original purpose. This makes it easier to resist spending temptations. IRAs are ideal for this. My Motorola stock was easy to sell. Should I have held it and not used it for a vacation? Yes and no. Mrs. ToughMoneyLove worked extremely hard to help support us through law school. Her lifelong dream to that point was to visit Ireland, the land of our ancestors. We had relatives on temporary assignment in England who would provide a place to stay. We had other relatives who offered us travel to the UK as a gift but only while our other relatives were there. When else would we have the time and means to take that extended trip? I think it was a good choice for us.
4. Transparent Growth. An excellent way to create investing enthusiasm in the novice investor is to make it easy for that investor to watch the investment appreciate in value. Any security and investment account that is easy to monitor online should qualify.
5. Low Risk. This one is going to be controversial. The standard line is that young folks are in it for the long haul so taking significant short term risk is appropriate and necessary.
