RSSWhere does John McCain stand on technology issues?
By Ed Oswald | Published September 4, 2008, 7:03 PM
(continued from previous page)
A proponent of new, private technology initiatives
Often departing from the Bush administration's position on the environment and energy, Sen. McCain has taken some progressive stances, often citing his roots in his native Arizona.
In the effort that first brought him together with then-Democrat, now-Independent, Sen. Joseph Lieberman (Conn.), McCain co-authored the Climate Stewardship Act in 2003, the Senate's most innovative effort to date in helping businesses to curb greenhouse gas emissions. As of today, that bill remains under deliberation in Congress, though the basic cap-and-trade system received accolades early on from Sen. Joseph Biden, and later from Sens. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
In this "cap-and-trade" system, companies would be dealt certain emissions limits on various carbons, like trading cards. They would then be allowed to trade up, lifting caps on emissions of some gasses over a given period, in exchange for stronger emissions caps for other gasses.
President Bush expressed disapproval for the concept from the beginning, supporting instead a system that gave more lenient, but stable, emissions caps across the board. Too stringent caps, Mr. Bush argued, would give production advantages to overseas competitors. In April 2008, Mr. Bush appeared at first to reverse himself on this issue, until an agreement between the administration and Congress revealed that the cap-and-trade sections had been quietly removed.
Most recently, Sen. McCain proposed a contest to award the developer of a more efficient car battery to power hybrid and electric cars.
$300 million would be given to the winner, to be paid by the taxpayer. On top of that, a $5,000 tax credit would be offered to those who purchase hybrid vehicles. While some of his opponents have dismissed it as a "gimmick," some experts say tax credits would be a more viable solution than taxing gas guzzling vehicles.
A supporter of telco immunity, until time to vote
Where Sen. McCain did side with the President, at least in principle, was with regard to his support for amendments to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, enabling limited, so-called "warrantless wiretapping." Sen. Obama showed early opposition to those amendments, as did Sen. Joe Biden and Sen. Hillary Clinton; though among these Democrats, only Obama eventually changed his position to support a compromise.
This support apparently did not translate enough into a "yea" vote: When it came time to vote on the bill, John McCain did not show.
A supporter of simplified merger review
While ostensibly, Sen. McCain has taken a strong public stance in favor of enforcement of antitrust legislation, back in 1999, he co-authored a proposal to strip the Federal Communications Commission of its power to review telecommunications mergers.
Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and John Ashcroft (R-Mo., prior to serving as US Attorney-General), joined McCain in introducing a bill which would have allowed such mergers to only require Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission review. It would have also given tax breaks to larger telecom service providers who sell their assets to smaller ones, as a means of promoting diversity in service ownership.
That bill ended up dying in 2002, after McCain attempted for the final time to introduce it to the chamber.
An advocate for protecting intellectual property
Sen. McCain also holds strong positions on what has become another hot-button issue in technology: intellectual property and patents. He supports providing more resources to the US Patent Office, in the form of more staff at the agency -- which would help to expedite patent reviews. It also seems that McCain could be open to curtailing patent lawsuits, which he claims stifles innovation.
The senator would also work to ensure that intellectual property is protected worldwide, advocating agreements with other nations that would help protect the interests of US IP rights holders, including keeping the rights to their work when sold or produced overseas.
[M.E.'s NOTE: Cross your fingers. BetaNews has heard from the press office of Gov. Sarah Palin, which says it is working on responses to our inquiry regarding her positions and record on technology issues. We've already reported on Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic Vice Presidential nominee. So we're reporting on Gov. Palin tomorrow, one way or the other.]
Heh...
Fewt disappearded.
Obviously, us Right-Wing, Fascist Neo-Cons censored him. He's probably stewing in gitmo as I type this.
*grin*
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|I think John McCain's head would fit perfect as the logo for Google's new browser.
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|*laughing*
Random comment of the day.
Excellent.
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|I think McCain IS Jesus !!
1) He's spreading lies too to gather some old soldier behind him too.
2) If Jesus would be alive today, he would be gray, ugly and bittered like McCain too.
3) Jesus told us he was imprisoned and tortured to serve his fellows too, McCain tells us he did too.
4) Jesus told us how he multiplied 1 fish and 1 bread, so there was enough for the soldiers and the citizens, McCain tell us he will multiply money so there will be enough for his soldiers and citizens too.
I think McCain IS Jesus !
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|I think you're either an idiot, or making a bad joke in very poor taste...
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|Well, not too well written, but I like this comparison :)
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|Shut up, I'm trying to watch "Ow! My B@LL$"
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|Shut up ! I'll lower your score !
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|I think you are a clueless troll.
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|dumba**, I said I was watching it, not playing it.
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|You actually expect to get reasonable responses to anything about McCain here? Judging by the knee-jerk (and I do mean jerk), comments I've read so far, if McCain had invented the internet he'd still be seen as a doddering old fool. Thank God the smart people really know who the creator was, Al Gore.
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|What did you expect?
The site is absolutely infested with the Entitlement Generation...
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|Who gives a Flyin' Flock a Gooses? bottom line my friends!
Long as keep our perspectives in order, ie the only infrastructure of worthy note is that of armaments manufacture, raisin' the price of oil, an' ensuring we are keepin the great unwashed even filthier than them already be.
Deep down ya guys know, if ya read the "Good Book, thar aint no reason for the net!!!
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|Yeah, let the flaming begin. Victim card???? Huh? What parallel Universe of stupidity are you on? Please explain.
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|...and how's that?
Stop getting your "facts" from The Colbert Report.
Really....
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|Show me a quote, not taken out of context where she claimed victim status and *didn't* use it as an example of her being strong enough to take it.
Anyone can take a soundbite out of context and make it look like she meant something entirely different than the actual speech.
I mentioned Colbert, because, amusing as it is, they are *experts* at it.
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|People putting words in the mouths of others.
I *really* wish they would STFU and let the candidates speak for themselves.
It's getting ridiculous and one of the *main* reasons I only pay attention to this BS during an election cycle as nothing more than entertainment.
No decision based on what has been said over the last 6 months by *anyone* is the least bit based in reality...
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|Hillary has to be really bad now. She and Bill expected the nomination by default. That was the agreement by smiling and standing by your man then. Now a black man and a white man are the candidates for her party. We will find out more about Palin and I like her speech. Compare to Palin, Hillary is a very mad and uptight person.
Yes, I remember Al Gore invented internet and so he is way ahead of us all.
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|She;s being protrayed as a Zealot. If you ignore the current misinformation and the interpretations by biased others, and look at her own actions and words (unless the mere mention of God makes her a Zealot), you'd be hard-pressed to make that accusation.
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|I am anti-theft.
My son stole a flash drive from Micro Center.
Does that make me a hypocrite?
She can be pro-life and still respect her child's decisions while fighting tooth and nail to further who own beliefs (even if they aren't those of her Daughter, we all know how often children and their parents agree...).
I have children, they do things I disagree with. Often, I am forced to support their decisions, against my will, or risk losing them entirely.
That was a horrible example, man. I know you can do better. ;)
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|I'm pro-life also, and I'm a realist. I'm not going to tell my kids that the only way is to not do it because I know they will anyway, so I'll teach them to be responsible about it.
*laughing*
Dude, that's *exactly* her policy!
Let the parents handle it, *not* the state funded educational system.
Brilliant. You just agreed with her.
Heh.
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|Gee..Nothing like another Senator who claims that he knew nothing of the views expressed on commercial DVDs by the 'most significant man in his life', and who not only conveniently seems to forget the person who actually planted bombs in the who William Ayers is, - you know - the person who introduced him to Chicago society, but also just who the convicted racketeer is who helped finance his house.
Ayers was one of the original grantees of the Chicago Annenberg Challenge, a school reform organization in the 1990s, and was co-chairman of the Chicago School Reform Collaborative, one the two operational arms of the CAC. Obama, then not yet a state senator, became chairman of the CAC in 1995. Later in that year, the first organizing meeting for Obama's state Senate campaign was held in Ayers's apartment. Ayers later wrote a memoir, and an article about him appeared in the New York Times on Sept. 11, 2001. "I don't regret setting bombs," Ayers is quoted as saying. "I feel we didn't do enough." Remember? You see, Ayer's was a terrorist in the late 1960s and 1970s whose 'little radical group' set bombs at the Pentagon and U.S. Capitol.
Yup, Obama just seems to run with the salt of the earth.
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|Right. She won't fund sex-ed in schools.
You said *you* teach your kids about protection.
I fail to see a disagreement here. ;)
AFAIAC, leave it out of the schools entirely. It's between the parents and their children.
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|Not reading the link...no longer involved in this thread, but...
The Huffing and Puffing Post?
Really?
Really??
;)
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|I do not believe schools should be teaching morality issues. They can go over the biology of it, but when it comes down to the question of should they or shouldn't they and with whom and when and so on, that is 100% *not* their business.
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|They shouldn't even teach protection, that's not biology, it's a choice. Again, that's a choice the parents can make.
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|the person using the "victim" card is the Democrat candidate for President, not VP
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|Under the republicans, the state doesn't fund anything else but spying, creating and combating of enemies, and countless ways of burdening our privacy and freedom.
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|Hi, couldn't you 2 make use of some kind of webcam chatting program or something like that ?
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|yawn...
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|Finally! The most erudite and constructive edit yet!
Keep up the good work!
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|Internet Forum: Place on the internet for people to discuss topics of interest.
I hope this helps you understand this 'intarwebz' thing a little bit more.
Glad I could help!
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|Didn't you read below?
Two words: Fairie princess.'
Now *that* was constructive editing. ;)
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|Jezus Christ of Nazareth saw a blind man, and said to him : Open your eyes and see, go and feed your family.
John McCain of America saw a blind man, and said to him : Open your eyes and see, go and fight against that horribly dangerous world I created.
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|Willemans,
If the "Good Samaritan", were alive today, well my dear friend, after "imafurby", PC_Tool, "Terminalx", and a few others got to him, he would be praying in Gitmo he'd never heard the term "display some welfare to your fellow man".
Fact of the matter is, he was just another hippie, and the afore mentioned dudettes would have loved nothing but a little surfing with him, for as long as they could keep him alive. And, you can bet they'd keep him alive for as long as he can take the "teasing", so to speak!
Ah, this is righteous stuff indeed!
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|*laughing*
I love it when people think they know me...
I have no problem helping my fellow man.
I have a *huge* problem with you or *anyone* else *telling* me *how* to help my fellow man.
Get off your own self-righteous high-horse and realize you have *no* say in how me or my fellow Americans choose to be charitable.
righteous stuff indeed!
Spoken like a *true* hypocrite.
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|;P
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|My dad's 58 and a lawyer and he barley knows how to turn on a computer. So I don't think McCain knows jack about technology, post wheel.
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|Then odds are good that you know even less than your father, just not about technology.
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|I am almost the same age as your dad and been using computer for 30 years. I have taught young and old how to use computer for fun. You'll be surprised there is no age discrimination when it comes to computer literacy. At company sponsored training, some of the college grad crowd are too proud to ask questions and pretend they know it all...only to ask me for help later on. Sometimes they would not ask for help and mess up our projects because they could not get it done. BTW, is there a similar article on Obama and technology?
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|Brilliant riposte, how do you come up with this stuff?
/sarcasm
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|Genius!
My Dad is 64. He is an eBay maven.
Obviously, this means McCain is a computer Genius!
My anecdotal evidence implying correlation between age and ability trumps yours...because it's mine!
Ha!
//This post contains dangerous amounts of sarcasm and a lethal amount of snark. But that's OK, the post this was in reply to was so terminally stupid, it should have been aborted...pre-post.
//heh...pre-post.
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|Heh...prepost stupid? Ya dad was about 52 when you were born then?
A wit might say the lowest form of sarcasm is when you are abusing yourself whilst reading your own comments, you naughty boy!!!
Yep, you are showing your immaturity. A word of advice my friend, this is not something you should display in public. HeHeHE!
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|He was 30, Zaine.
That makes me younger than you.
Amazingly enough, I don't live in my Mom's Basement.
I suppose I should give it another decade, though, hmmm? Perhaps my wife and kids will leave, I'll lose my company and get a lobotomy so I can be more like you?
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|That puts you at about my age.
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|Assuming that people beyond a certain age are incapable of being technically knowledgeable is far from the truth.
Your sarcasm is poorly targeted.
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|My dad is 80 is on his pc all the time. He helps lots of people he knows with the pc so you point is pointless.
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|Agreed, but it is my comprehension that is the culprit in this case.
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|Just because your dad doesn't know jack doesn't mean others don't!
But it certainly reflects on your level of ignorance - you come by it honestly!
Stick to HotWheels.
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|Sen. McCain was for technology before he was against it.
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|I am curious where the other - 3rd party - candidates stand on technology issues... Ralph Nader, Bob Darr, and Chuck Baldwin
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|What I REALLY want to know is where Paris Hilton stands on technology issues ...
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/64ad536a6d
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|She owns a vibrator with web access
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|oh, a DELUXE iPhone!
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|McCain and Windoze were made for each other, they're both old and outdated.
Obama on the other hand is a savvy and Modern Mac user.
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|Once again your ignorance shines through. Obamie and socialism not good for anybody. And yes one of the earmark leaders is a wonderful leader, not. Keep drinking the koolaide.
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|I love Apple Kool Aid, it taste so good. ^__^
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|The Kool Aid is poisoned.
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|Healthcare
Welfare
Social Security.
Anything else?
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|Vista Rocks!
Hey...you heard it here, folks.
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|What?
Dogs and cats do *not* do that kind of thing.
Really...
I worry about you sometimes...
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|*censored*
*censored*
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|...
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|Thank you
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|Healthcare provided by the government is a socialist concept that also doesn't work.
I want to earn what I get not expect it from the government.
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|FWIW: I have heard numerous times that they sell pliers in the UK specifically for pulling ones own teeth as the wait times to get into the dentist are usually over 3 months, and folks are not always able to stand the pain for that amount of time.
:)
Not exactly what I'd call "working", but I suppose if you have a high tolerance for pain or some nifty drugs.... ;)
//this is me officially ducking out of this thread.
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|...and where would the money come from?
I'm paying taxes. If my taxes are already paying for it (and for others), why would I pay to keep my own?
It's not a question of who will have access to it. It's a question of *forcing* me to pay for it.
What if I don't want HealthCare? What if I have enough money to foot my own bills? What gives anyone, including the government, the right to take what is mine and give it to someone else?
You dragged me, kicking and screaming, back into this thread.
I hate you.... You know that, right? ;)
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|And do you figure the cost of medical procedures and medicine is going to drop drastically over the nest year or two?
...or are you one of those folks who thinks our health care will remain as good as it is now paying billions less into the industry?
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|you know what son? **** john McCain, he can choke on my balls! because hey i dont want an old man as the president of the US knowing that he might die due to skin cancer or some other s*** like that
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|in all reality he is a stark Ememy of the people when it comes to technology. its his way or Get out. DTV is one such example. The contiued push beyond civil rights violations with the patriot act and wire and internet tapping. So is the DMCRA failure, as its not in the politicians interest to grant consumer rights for fair use of anything digital. As long as they control it, they control it and can use it to imprison anyone they wish with no evidence. These are tantamount to continued police state control of information, content and its people.
Thing is he is the best of two evils in that regard. I certainly do not trust an ObamaNation to be any more consumer oriented. If anythign I will grant that the republicans at least have something in place now, that already has oversight channels and ways of securing your rights AFTER the fact if it gets out of hand.
What Dems might come up with is too scary to even consider. However that being said a FEW Democrats actually do believe in the concept of Fair Use and Consumer Rights and have pushed for things in the past. I think part of the problem in the past 3 years has been that no one wants to give credit to the other side for getting something so voter popular through. So No Republican wants to support a Dem bill and no Dem wants to support a republican bill.
Truth is I don't trust either of them. BOTH of them are in the pockets of the MPAA RIAA. As they are campaign contributers to both sides. There is no win win with these kinds. there is bad and worse. On this issue it has to hold second string to other more important issues and we as a people have to put sufficient pressure to demand what we expect through legal actions. Cause no politician is ever going to go against their lobbyists who give them millions for their coffers.
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|McCain has been chair of the Senate committees on commerce, science, and transportation, but his positions on net neutrality and broadband penetration are troubling. In terms of broadband, the US #22 in the world. 8 years ago we were #4 and John McCain is partly responsible for this. For Net Neutrality, he wants market forces to determine this, not government intervention. The article discusses McCain's views on telecom mergers, but as the number of companies providing broadband sources decrease, competition decreases, further hurting America's ability to compete globally.
My source is Harvard Law professor Lawrence Lessig:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvohYMgp0oo
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|Your right that is McCain's position. He thinks the government should do less and the private sector (IE the people) should do more.
It should be up to the cable companies, phone companies, and other internet providers (you know the ones who will profit from it) to bring us broadband. Not the government.
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|OMG!!!
*gasp*
A Conservative pushing for Limited Government?
Unheard of!
//this post contains dangerous amounts of sarcasm.
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|Only unheard of in the last few years. Besides, conservatives suffer from some amount of cognitive dissonance; believing limited government is good for economic issues but not for social ones. The free-market is great for corporations, but not so good that they need to force creationism into schools or pass laws to ban abortion or prevent gays from getting married.
I would be a lot more sympathetic to their ideals of limited government if it applied to more than economics and if they didn't have a quite scary base of the party that pushes the whole America is a christian nation nonsense and wants to teach school kids that Adam and Eve frolicked around Eden with the dinosaurs. Unfortunately those last two items are deal breakers.
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|Please stop confusing Conservatism (limited government, both fiscal *and* social) with what used to be the Religious Right (now becoming the Religious Left).
They are two entirely different views that happened to, for a time, be part of the same political party.
Mmmkay?
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|I think the -ism you're looking for to describe that is libertarianism, not conservatism. So I doubt I'm really confusing it.
And yes, I am also alarmed at the burgeoning religious left and Obama promising them that he will be expanding Bush's faith based initiatives.
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|I'm a fairy princess
Well...
That's all well and good, Fewt, but hardly relevant... ;)
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|*laughs*
Conservatism, the core beliefs, anyway==libertarianism.
The words have become diluted over time, I believe that this is a big part of the problem. No-one knows what is what anymore.
Republicans making Democrats look Conservative and vice versa....
It's a mess, no doubt.
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|I don't care if you think McCain likes Fairies, I still don't think it's relevant to the topic. ;)
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|I hate clamps
Uh...
The turtle did it?
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|What? I didn't write any of that!!
I know...but you left it wide open. :p
...and I was bored.
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|heh
..You said it. (he actually *did* say that one.)
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|Personally, McCain is clueless with current technologies, but his wife, Cindy, is a guru. She has 3 blackberries (why someone needs 3, no idea) and other gadgets.
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|I have several old Nokias laying around.
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|I don't believe its referenced in this article, but I have read where McCain strongly opposes Net Neutrality laws.
He was quoted as saying, "When you control the pipe you should be able to get profit from your investment."
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|He was quoted as saying, "When you control the pipe you should be able to get profit from your investment."
laughs..
How does this have anything to do with Net Neutrality? Are you saying ISP's shouldn't be able to profit from allocated bandwidth?
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