I'M LEGAL!!!!!!!!

[ιady ταвz]

when im a US citizen

[childminerva]

oh, gotcha! Good luck with that! I went to a ceremony once where a couple hundred people became us citizens...it was awesome.

[ιady ταвz]

really?? cool, ima bit reluctant to become a citizen though, i have more loyalty to my homeland..u know?..and i dont really wanna take a test to prove i know the US and its history..ugh

[EloquentPhoenix]

I have been thinking more about Eloquentphoenix's comments about the NHS and I think she may have a point. I'm not sure any party could have resurected it . When it was started Britain had a much younger (and smaller) population after so many adults were killed in the war. Perhaps some radical changes are needed if it is to survive.

I like it when I have a point

Though, for tthe BNP I wouldn't exactly say political respectability. The BNP is a far-right political group that advocates a 'white Britain'. This group denies the Holocaust, would bring back corporal punishment and the death sentence for paedophiles, murderers and terrorists. It is also keen to see the re-establishment of national service (conscription into the armed forces) and a federation of British Isles (UK + Republic of Ireland).

I don't support a single policy, I'm afraid, despite whatever problems I might have the racial tension our country is admist of and the trouble it is and will continue to cause.

I don't dispute that the war has been Blair's downfall, even if I do support it, and it's only natural that a Tory would blame 7/7 on Blair, which is hardly fair. Whether or not the war was right it does not give extremists the right to blow up our trains and buses, kill our people and try to scare us into changing our foreign policy. It's not Blair's fault that these people have a sick and twisted interpretation of their religion that gives other peaceful followers of Islam bad names.

And I've used Tory in that, which is a British word for someone who is or votes conservative.

/rant.

Anyway. We're taking over your thread with politics and religion still, I just can't seem to help but have an opinion, so I apologise. Happy Birthday again misshoneychurch I hope you had a nice day

[jayejaye]

I agree completely with you're comments about 7/7 Eloquentphoenix.
I didn't know all that about the BNP.. thay actually have a manifesto??. I guess I missed them when they came canvassing.

[EloquentPhoenix]

I have a very politically interested friend, so he's my source, he looks into things a lot.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_National_Party And that.

[ιady ταвz]

if you dont mins me asking, what is NHS?

[jayejaye]

The National Health Service. After WW2 the government decided healthcare should be 'free at the point of delivery' (a labour government ..but lets not go there again lol). It was started in 1948 and basically we are all entitled to free healthcare...(of course it's not really free..it's paid for out of our taxes). We do have to pay to get prescriptions filled and there is not much free dental care around anymore, but there are exemptions for some people. I'm sure It won't be long before we have to pay for at least part of our treatment and we all have to have health insurance like you guys do.

[ιady ταвz]

ah i see...NHS in the US is National Honours Society..which im part of

[childminerva]

ha! me too

[jayejaye]

National Honours Society...what's that??

[ιady ταвz]

its when your grades and stuff are 85%, or maybe its 90% or higher, and you get inducted into the honours society because you seem to have leadership skills and will benefit the world, blah blah blah

woo another NHS member

[osusprinks]

I was in Honor Society as well. lol

I guessed that your NHS stood for National Health Service. It seems Health Care/Insurance is a big issue where ever you live. We don't have a health care system like that, but some people are trying to put that into legislation here. I live in Ohio and our newly elected Governor and one of our Senators have refused to let the taxpayers pay for their health insurance until all Ohioans have Health Insurance. I don't know what the right answer is or if there is one.

We do have other parties and issues that pop up now and again. If you look at USA political history, every 30 years or so a "3rd Party" enters the scene that is a single issue party, such as the populists at the turn of the 20th century (The Wizard of Oz, anyone?) or even Enviromentalists a few years back. You would think people would get behind these parties but really one of two things happen 1)The issue becomes so big that the two main parties take a stand on it, so people move back to those or 2) The issue becomes big enough that it pulls enough people from one of the parties that it puts the other party in power and the issue dies. 1) happens when both conservatives and liberals are pro-issue, 2) happens when it is just people from one of the two.

The problem is we have a "winner takes all" and single member districts. So basically all the people in an area or district vote for a rep for their district and they can only elect one. So if "A" gets 51% and "B" gets 49%, A gets it and B gets nothing. It sucks actually, but we Americans know no other way! lol

Sorry. I am preparing to teach this stuff so you guys are getting more info than you could possibly want! lol

[childminerva]

That's okay...this is good practice for you!

[EloquentPhoenix]

In Britain you mean?

I don't mind extra information, I enjoy politics.

[ιady ταвz]

yea...its helpful, right now i take American History

[jayejaye]

osusprinks it sounds very like our 'first past the post system' same thing applies. whoever has the majority wins.
What will happern to Shrub now that the Democrats have taken over?? Is he still able to impliment his own policies or is he just a puppet now untill he steps down? (loved his comment that he thought his party would do well. that was repeated a lot over here lol)

[ιady ταвz]

really?? puppet..lol....i cant wait till he's gone

[osusprinks]

He can still try to get things done, it will just take quite a bit more discussion and compromise. He can also veto anything of theirs that he doesn't like and the Dems aren't that big of a majority that they would be able to overrule his veto. Gotta love checks and balances! He is also still our Commander and Chief, so the war is on till we get someone else in his position.

I want to teach high school history and political science in the US, but this is the sort of thing I will be teaching in some of those classes.

[MinnieMin22]

Hey everyone!!

This is my first post!! WOOP!

I enjoyed reading this thread, verrryy interesting. I love politics, but I hate to choose between Republican and Democratic, because like someone else said, I agree with both sides on some things, but yet I also have my own opinions. I just let things flow the way they are meant to, even if I don't agree with them.

But anyways, congratz on turning 18!! I recently turned 18 too! In September to be exact. Enjoy the age!! I find that it feels so free *I have a friend who smokes and they needed some more so I went and bought then some. I myself don't smoke, horrid habit, but I needed to do something crazy* But, with the freedom, comes total craziness. I now have a closet sized apartment with noisy neighbours, I applied for college and am going next year, I have 2 jobs, and need to pay all my bills plus rent... *sigh* So yeah, it's not all fun and games, BUT I finally feel.. independent I guess I could describe it as. But I could lean on my family to help me out a bit, but I've always been too proud and "overly-mature", as my parents call it, which is total bogus. ;D

[jayejaye]

osusprinks you've taught me all I know about the American political system..Yep.. I knew absolutley nothing before. I'm sure you will be a great teacher.

MinnieMin welcome to the board hon..I left home when I was 17 and had a hard time for a while too. (many moons ago) But I never regretted a minute (I'm sure you won't either) I loved the independence. :-)

[ιady ταвz]

yea..i know more from osusprinks

welcome MinnieMin ...yay another believer of the faith

[osusprinks]

Welcome MinnieMin! Happy belated Birthday!

Well if you guys have any questions, let me know. It's exciting to realize I actually do know some of the things I'm supposed to know! lol

[ιady ταвz]

ure gonna be a great history teacher...like mine...

[mmadlyinlove]

ladytabz said:

really?? cool, ima bit reluctant to become a citizen though, i have more loyalty to my homeland..u know?..and i dont really wanna take a test to prove i know the US and its history..ugh

Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm loyal to the US cuz this is my homeland. I was born here and have spent all nineteen years of my life here, in Southern California. That's the main reason why I don't move, aside from missing my family. I've thought several times of moving to England or anywhere in the UK, but I'm too loyal to the US and the US doesn't allow for duel citizenship, which sucks butt. But I guess I can understand their reasonings... ~mmadlyinlove~

[jayejaye]

No Duel citizenship??? I didn't know some contries didn't allow that.

[ιady ταвz]

damn...wont become a citizen then..want to be citizen of my country Guyana

[osusprinks]

I don't know why the US doesn't allow for dual citizenship, but I think that if you are a citizen here and then move to say England and they allow for dual citizenship you can get it there. Not sure. That is an interesting question.

[jayejaye]

A friend of mine is Irish (has Irish parents)but was born in the US he was there less than a year before he moved back to Ireland but he has an American and Irish passport. So I suppose his parents must have applied for Irish citizenship for him. We went on holiday one summer and his Irish passport expired while we were away so he tried to get back into England with his American passport. It was not long after 9/11 and security was still really tight...We were stuck at immigration for HOURS even though I had a European Passport. We had to get friends our parents and employers to confirm who we were and that he had permission to be in England.

[EloquentPhoenix]

It makes me really sad to think how they managed to cause that, it doesn't even anger me anymore. It's just sad that we are in a generation of terrosim where they cause this, and it makes me even sadder that it's my generation, since it'll probably last for the rest of my lifetime. Better safe than sorry though.