US Election 2012 - Who's it going to be?

[localzuk]

This is why more money should be spent on education, and less on their military.

 

Another interesting aspect of it all is that the USA has only recently had a single 'pundit' who used statistics and evidence based models for prediction - Nate Silver.

 

He was correct in his predictions pretty much everywhere (I think one of his Congress predictions was wrong and that's about it). The usual pundits all slated him before of course, saying it was a neck and neck race for the entire time, basing their views instead of 'gut feeling'...

 

Why does the USA have such an issue with science?

[LeMarchand]

Found this posted on another forum; some of you may have already seen it (at the last US election). Apparently our Majesty has weighed in on the debate:

 

A MESSAGE FROM THE QUEEN

 

To the citizens of the United States of America from Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

 

In light of your failure in recent years to nominate competent candidates for President of the USA and thus to govern yourselves, we hereby give notice of the revocation of your independence, effective immediately. (You should look up 'revocation' in the Oxford English Dictionary.)

 

Her Sovereign Majesty Queen Elizabeth II will resume monarchical duties over all states, commonwealths, and territories (except North Dakota, which she does not fancy).

 

Your new Prime Minister, David Cameron, will appoint a Governor for America without the need for further elections.

 

Congress and the Senate will be disbanded. A questionnaire may be circulated next year to determine whether any of you noticed.

 

To aid in the transition to a British Crown dependency, the following rules are introduced with immediate effect:

 

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1. The letter 'U' will be reinstated in words such as 'colour,' 'favour,' 'labour' and 'neighbour.' Likewise, you will learn to spell 'doughnut' without skipping half the letters, and the suffix '-ize' will be replaced by the suffix '-ise.' Generally, you will be expected to raise your vocabulary to acceptable levels. (Look up 'vocabulary').

 

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2. Using the same twenty-seven words interspersed with filler noises such as ''like' and 'you know' is an unacceptable and inefficient form of communication. There is no such thing as U.S. English. We will let Microsoft know on your behalf. The Microsoft spell-checker will be adjusted to take into account the reinstated letter 'u'' and the elimination of '-ize.'

 

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3. July 4th will no longer be celebrated as a holiday.

 

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4. You will learn to resolve personal issues without using guns, lawyers, or therapists. The fact that you need so many lawyers and therapists shows that you're not quite ready to be independent. Guns should only be used for shooting grouse. If you can't sort things out without suing someone or speaking to a therapist, then you're not ready to shoot grouse.

 

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5. Therefore, you will no longer be allowed to own or carry anything more dangerous than a vegetable peeler. Although a permit will be required if you wish to carry a vegetable peeler in public.

 

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6. All intersections will be replaced with roundabouts, and you will start driving on the left side with immediate effect. At the same time, you will go metric with immediate effect and without the benefit of conversion tables. Both roundabouts and metrication will help you understand the British sense of humour.

 

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7. The former USA will adopt UK prices on petrol (which you have been calling gasoline) of roughly $10/US gallon. Get used to it.

 

 

 

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8. You will learn to make real chips. Those things you call French fries are not real chips, and those things you insist on calling potato chips are properly called crisps. Real chips are thick cut, fried in animal fat, and dressed not with catsup but with vinegar.

 

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9. The cold, tasteless stuff you insist on calling beer is not actually beer at all. Henceforth, only proper British Bitter will be referred to as beer, and European brews of known and accepted provenance will be referred to as Lager. South African beer is also acceptable, as they are pound for pound the greatest sporting nation on earth and it can only be due to the beer. They are also part of the British Commonwealth - see what it did for them. American brands will be referred to as Near-Frozen Gnat's Urine, so that all can be sold without risk of further confusion.

 

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10. Hollywood will be required occasionally to cast English actors as good guys. Hollywood will also be required to cast English actors to play English characters. Watching Andie Macdowell attempt English dialect in Four Weddings and a Funeral was an experience akin to having one's ears removed with a cheese grater.

 

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11. You will cease playing American football. There is only one kind of proper football; you call it soccer. Those of you brave enough will, in time, be allowed to play rugby (which has some similarities to American football, but does not involve stopping for a rest every twenty seconds or wearing full kevlar body armour like a bunch of nancies).

 

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12. Further, you will stop playing baseball. It is not reasonable to host an event called the World Series for a game which is not played outside of America. Since only 2.1% of you are aware there is a world beyond your borders, your error is understandable. You will learn cricket, and we will let you face the South Africans first to take the sting out of their deliveries.

 

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13.. You must tell us who killed JFK. It's been driving us mad.

 

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14. An internal revenue agent (i.e. tax collector) from Her Majesty's Government will be with you shortly to ensure the acquisition of all monies due (backdated to 1776).

 

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15. Daily Tea Time begins promptly at 4 p.m. with proper cups, with saucers, and never mugs, with high quality biscuits (cookies) and cakes; plus strawberries (with cream) when in season.

 

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God Save the Queen!

[sted]

This is why more money should be spent on education, and less on their military.

 

Another interesting aspect of it all is that the USA has only recently had a single 'pundit' who used statistics and evidence based models for prediction - Nate Silver.

 

He was correct in his predictions pretty much everywhere (I think one of his Congress predictions was wrong and that's about it). The usual pundits all slated him before of course, saying it was a neck and neck race for the entire time, basing their views instead of 'gut feeling'...

 

Why does the USA have such an issue with science?

 

i think i can guess which "comedy news show" youve been watching lol

 

as to science bear in mind it does seem (and as ive never been to the usa i can only go on what i hear/see) that relegion plays a far bigger role over there than here and to appease people who over here would be seen as marginal views but over there are more mainstream compramises have to be made and if someone really believes without need for evidence the earth is 6000 years old and was made in 6 days what can you do about it relegion isnt rational.

 

as to the milatary no president would dare do much they would be so much dissent which is why their budget wrangling is silly so many things just cant be considered for reduced funding.

[featured_spectre]

Was speaking to some Americans regarding the US spending policy, they're mainly annoyed at the amount of people able to work but won't, the un-unionised workforce which drives down the minimum wage level, the increasing federal taxations (though to counterbalance state taxes have been reduced), and the waste of money spent when it comes to new projects...an example of this was $4000 spent on a hammer, $13000 spent on a toilet seat, and they were used in the whitehouse. Also they are annoyed at giving the military contracts to companies that usurp most of the money away from what it is required to do (another example was $15billion spent on building the a new aircraft carrier, then they halted production, then started it again at a cost of $811m. The ship without the holding period it was subjected to, was behind by 17 weeks, and now is looking at nearly 40 weeks behind.

 

Many want a higher budget for the education sector, and to do this, they want it pulled from social funding (equivalent of our jobseekers etc). They're of the opinion that why should they fund people who couldn't be bothered.

 

*NOTE* THIS IS THE OPINION OF THE PEOPLE I GAME WITH ON WORLD OF TANKS, ALONG WITH VARIOUS OTHER GAMES AND FORUMS

[Arthur]

http://imgs.xkcd.com/comics/math.png

[Trapper]

The Republicans are almost over as a serious political force unless they seriously modernize.

 

I don't think they've realized that their aren't that many angry, white, fundamentalist men in comparison with the liberal, well-educated and the Hispanic population boom.

[featured_spectre]

Here is how the voting would have looked like if it was just White men voting

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/11/10/article-2230850-15F1CF94000005DC-996_634x452.jpg

 

Now just men (race excluded)

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/11/10/article-2230850-15F1CF98000005DC-873_634x452.jpg

 

Now just white people (Men and women)

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/11/10/article-2230850-15F1CFA5000005DC-295_634x452.jpg

 

Now everyone over 24 regardless of race or gender

 

http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/11/10/article-2230850-15F1CFAF000005DC-870_634x452.jpg

 

Pretty interesting!