We need to bring Reagan back... to fight Japan.

[AAAhmed46]

We need to bring Reagan back... to fight Japan.
Japan's young turn to Communist Party as they decide capitalism has let them down

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...them-down.html

With its gleaming designer stores, the world's second largest economy and an insatiable appetite for luxury labels, Japan has long been regarded as the land of the rising capitalist.

But a wave of discontent among its younger workers is fuelling a change in the nation's political landscape: communism is suddenly back in fashion.

What many young Japanese view as an erosion of their economic security and employment rights, combined with years of political stagnation, are propelling droves of them into the arms of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP), the nation's fourth largest political party.

New recruits are signing up at the rate of 1,000 a month, swelling its ranks to more than 415,000. Meanwhile a classic proletarian novel is at the top of the best-seller lists, and communist-themed "manga" comics are enjoying soaring success.

------------------------

There will be communist anime on American channels. You wait and see.

Everyone needs to watch Red Dawn, Rocky IV and Rambo II over and over again until they are stirred up into an anti-commie fervor then we need to go over to japan and kick some commie arse.
__________________

[AAAhmed46]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgizIjUDNuU

This actually really *****. I really admire japans crazy hair styles and crazy media and weirdness.

[TSDguy]

There are going to be a lot of seemingly weird political changes in the next couple years. Depressions are boons for things like fascism, as we can see with the current republican anti-intellectualism and "kill him" chants, the Patriot Act, and the fear-mongering in Italy. Everything will work out in the end though. With any luck the world economy comes out stronger with less idiotic spending and less government interference that causes this sort of nonsense. Maybe there are even a couple riots which cause the left-wingers to see the value of owning a weapon or two.

[AAAhmed46]

Japan is going through a cultural rift, it always has been. This shouldn't be surprising.

I was surprised by al-jazeera's reporting. Atleast based on the youtube video's. They even did a thing on how there is a shortage of dating for woman.

[TSDguy]

Al Jazeera is up there with BBC and NPR in terms of quality. All three have obvious biases, but they do damn good reporting.

[AAAhmed46]

Al Jazeera is up there with BBC and NPR in terms of quality. All three have obvious biases, but they do damn good reporting.

It surprises me, because i expected "Durka durka, jihad jihad"

So it was surprising.
Shows a will to secularize in the middle east, every other time they tried to secularize has been retarded by colonial interests, such as in the cold war and before that as well. Had this not happened, we would see a very different middle east.

As much as many of you dislike communism, as i myself do, it did some pretty good things to the ideological culture in turkey. Too bad their grossly nationalistic. But hey, so are the Russians. Not it's capitalist, though their still grossly nationalistic.



To be honest, considering how japan is culturally, seeing it's great capatitalism, i find it hard to believe communism would take any real root in japanese culture. I just don't see it, especially with the high level of individualism im seeing.

[Bill Glasheen]

current republican anti-intellectualism...

... which would be an oxymoron. After all, isn't the Republican vs. Democrat class warfare thing the rich vs. the poor? And what MBA programs do you think those "rich Wall Street CEOs" are coming from, Appalachia State?

Your politics are showing again, TSD. Nice strawman argument anyhow.

As a former member of the academic elite who lived on teaching and academic research, I can speak to the stereotypes. Generally I saw the liberal leaning coming from the Arts and Sciences, and the law schools *. Meanwhile the more conservative came from engineering, business, and the sciences.

One only need to go to your local Starbucks and ask the workers from whence they came. Why is that person pouring my coffee so articulate? Philosophy major from Columbia. Couldn't find a job, so... My former masseuse was a Columbia grad. Good at what she did, and great conversation to boot! Not much on the income though, which would explain the voting for wealth redistribution.

Let's not forget journalism majors, music majors, the arts... Where do you think they end up? And what kinds of salaries are we talking about? And damn... aren't those the folks writing what we read in the New York Times, LA Times, and Washington Post? Son of a gun... **

And the law school thing? Trial lawyers and Sutton's law. Basically more wealth redistribution, with the trial lawyers siphoning off a good deal of that money flow.

Meanwhile it's the Ivy League, University of Chicago, UVa, and other MBA programs that are driving Wall Street. Barack Obama's law school digs at U of Chicago were naturally liberal. But the elite University of Chicago MBA program is one of the most conservative thinking in the country, and they have endorsed McCain. Say it ain't so!!! I have direct info on that, as my brother-in-law is a retired CEO and a U of Chicago grad. I have two other family member grads from MBA programs. They are top-of-their-class intellectuals, and decidedly fiscally conservative.

The science and math types end up with higher paying jobs, and end up on the upper tax brackets. Many eventually go into management as well.

(FWIW, I had both an engineering and liberal arts education. I was like a kid in a candy store when I went to college.)

It drives the "liberal elite" nuts when they have to deal with the fact that Bush graduated from the top MBA program in the country. You know... that tiny place called Harvard. Let's not forget the Yale undergrad. Damn... now they can't place the "stupid" label on him without themselves looking pretty silly. But you know... they do it anyhow. It just goes to show... nothing I guess.

As for the critique of Obama, well it's the way he sells wealth redistribution. It's all about class warfare. You know... 95% of the taxpayers are going to get a tax cut. Well... the upper 5% already pay 60% of all the taxes. Want to bleed them more? Be my guest! Meanwhile... poor people don't create jobs.

My dad made more money - and paid more taxes - with the "Bush tax cuts." That's a concept that the liberals who do schitty at math can never understand. Meanwhile, a candidate like Obama knows how that works. Smooth talk the lower 95% into voting for you because you're going to screw those rich folks, right? It's a numbers game, and the voodoo economics wins you more votes - even though it loses more revenue for Wall Street, Main Street, and Pennsylvania Avenue.

In Jefferson's time, they called that tyranny of the masses. They took great pains trying to create a government that put a lid on this class warfare and the raping of the productive minority. They didn't think much of the British taxes. And Jefferson's nice digs (and creation of a University) didn't happen because he was "anti-intellectual."

But keep on keeping on, TSDguy. You know how it is. Those folks who don't agree with you MUST be dummies, right? Maybe you can quote some Karl Marx for us so we'll all be "enlightened."

- Bill

* Corporate law would be the exception, which draws from the top of the law school class. Trial lawyers are liberal leaning, and contribute heavily to the Democratic party.

** Ronald Reagan was a Hollywood type and former liberal who once headed the Screen Actor's Guild. But he had a political change of heart over time.

[AAAhmed46]

Interesting article.

Though i would like to point out that, though lots of reporters may be socially/fiscally liberal, the owners of newspapers may not be. And they decide what goes on air.

[AAAhmed46]

[TSDguy]

The republicans of your generation where the rich ones, Bill. Today's republicans are poor and uneducated. The rich have abandoned the party over the past 8 years. Take a look at the donation stats for repub vs. dem. Lawyers, doctors and bankers donate more to the dems than repubs. Your politics are showing again, Bill.

Not only that, but this is just common sense. Look at the red vs blue maps, Bill. Your slowing in your old age.

Edit: I just looked up the donation demos myself out of curiosity. I knew the classic "high-end" jobs donated a lot more to dems, but WOW attorneys and physicians donate a LOT more to dems. Way more than I expected.

[TSDguy]

And Bill, get it through your thick skull that I don't like democrats, have never voted democrat, and will never vote democrat. Quit making these idiotic claims that I support socialism or whatever else. I just am intelligent enough to see McCain for what he is: not a republican. Good luck with your own journey.

[Doug Erickson]

the current republican anti-intellectualism and "kill him" chants...

As opposed to the high-brow intellectualism displayed by the Obama supporters who wore t-shirts proclaiming that "Sarah Palin Is A C*nt," right?

[TSDguy]

The verbal attacks are not what I'm talking about, I'm using a lot myself because I hate stupid McCain supporters. 1) The campaign is bringing out some nasty racism and 2) the anti-intellectualism that has become the trademark of many parts of the "republican base". Creationists, people that think Obama is a muslim spy, etc. Stupid people. Which to be fair is not limited to McCain supporters, it's become a problem across the entire country. It's probably a worse problem in the people who don't know/care enough to vote.

[Bill Glasheen]

The republicans of your generation where the rich ones, Bill. Today's republicans are poor and uneducated.

That is so wrong that I don't know what to do with it. How can you make such an uninformed, unsubstantiated, and frankly "anti-intellectual" claim? The only thing I can figure is that you're beginning to believe the strawman propaganda of the Republican opposition.

Damn few people in the upper 5% of income will vote for someone who will raise their taxes so that said revenue can be spread out amongst the remaining 95%. That doesn't begin to pass the sniff test.

The thing is... this "class warfare" argument has always worked, because many in the 95% like the idea. What they don't realize is that total tax revenue goes down when you overtax the wealthy, corporations, and capital gains. Why? Because total income and revenue goes down. It's a percentages game.

John Kennedy understood this. He's the only Democratic president who in my memory actually LOWERED the capital gains tax. We in Virginia would call such a man a "Blue Dog Democrat." Basically he was a libertarian. And guess what happened? The economy boomed, and federal revenue went up.

Obama may know his constitutional law, but he didn't learn a damn thing from his neighbors in the University of Chicago business school. In other words, don't expect a master carpenter to be an electrician.

Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built.

Abraham Lincoln
An Early Republican


- Bill

[TSDguy]

I totally agree with you on the economy, Bill. Thus why I've been a registered republican since I could vote. (When I was a kid I thought I was a weird sort of unique anarchist because I'd never heard of libertarians.) And ya, the upper 1% of the population in terms of wealth tend to be republican today. However the base, the heart of the party, the ones Palin was brought in to revitalize, are poor and uneducated. CEOs are one of the few (off the top of my head, only) "fancy" jobs that out donate to republicans. All the others go democrat.

[/URL][/URL]

As you can see, the major McCain tax cuts go to the VERY wealthy.