Can't tell for sure...but this picture has me wondering if I might be leaning a little to the Left.

[Excel]

Alright knapp. Since you're such an expert on maps please explain the 1997 Iraqi election: (green = areas won by Saddam Hussein)

 

[carlfense]

Alright knapp. Since you're such an expert on maps please explain the 1997 Iraqi election: (green = areas won by Saddam Hussein)

 

Why did he lose Baghdad?

[carlfense]

As far as I know, a high percentage of carlfenses are registered as independent. If necessary, I'll make a map to fit in.

[Excel]

Alright knapp. Since you're such an expert on maps please explain the 1997 Iraqi election: (green = areas won by Saddam Hussein)

 

Why did he lose Baghdad?

 

I believe it was the '96 Abu Ghraib scandal. A big selling point in Hussein's campaign was how viciously bloodthirsty he was. When it came out that some of the people he claimed to have killed were actually still alive his critics played up the "Saddam isn't that bad" angle and it really hurt his popularity in the capital where voters selected the "eh, ok sure Saddam again" option rather than "Hail Saddam, king of Arabs" in the booths. You can read more about it in Karl Rove's memoirs as he was Campaign Manger that year.

[knapplc]

Alright knapp. Since you're such an expert on maps please explain the 1997 Iraqi election: (green = areas won by Saddam Hussein)

 

 

Pretty sure that's just leftover sh#t stains* from six years earlier when the 2nd Armored Cav paid a visit during Desert Storm.

 

 

 

* aka "the hummus effect"

[deedsker]

Does it tell us much to post electoral maps and maps shaded by income levels?

 

The maps have pretty colors.

 

Yes they do but hey they're just maps.

 

Here's a fun one. Poland most recent electoral map:

 

 

Civic Platform, PO, (orange) is the moderate to moderately conservative pro-EU party while Law & Justice, PiS, (blue) is the moderately-conservative to far-right-wing euro-sceptic party.

 

 

Best maps of Poland's income I could find:

 

 

 

As far as religious and ethnic considerations we can mostly rule those out as Poland is pretty homogeneously Polish and Catholic.

 

So from comparing those two maps it seems pretty obvious right? Eastern Poland, excluding Warsaw, is voting for PiS because they're poorer.

 

But wait. Everyone say hi to the Kaiser!

 

 

Maps. Combine!

 

 

 

So yea. Maps can be decieving and junk.

Thanks Bucky!

 

I spent a lot of time in Poland last summer and that puts some things into perspective. Didn't realize the political divide was that territorial; I thought they hated Germans and Russians equally.

 

[krill]

Not two days ago I was at a Kwik Shop in Lincoln, stuck in line behind a lady that used an EBT card to buy pork rinds, candy bars, ice cream, and soda, while using cash to buy malt liquor, vodka, flavored cigars, and lotto cards. It was one the stupidest scenes I've ever seen in my life, and I promise, this is not a scene invented for effect on the internet. I completely understand why a lot of conservative Republicans are outraged by people like this that can only be described as leeches with no self respect. This sort of crap that's on display on a regular basis is something that liberal Democrats often underestimate, or perhaps we just carefully ignore, even if the reality is that 8 out of 10 people who receive food stamps are elderly or disabled people that you'll never notice. It's more than a numbers game where 10% waste with social welfare programs (whatever it is) is ok, because the waste is all people see, and that makes them angry, even if 90% efficiency is entirely defensible.

 

If nothing else, think about this for a second also. If you you make less than roughly 150k as an individual, or 250k as a household, even more with children, you will also be a net receiver of social benefits if you live to age 80. If you are a wise investor and max our your IRA and 401k contributions every year, you cost the federal government far more in revenue than the lady spending $100 month on junk food with an EBT card. That's not a defense of that lady's lifestyle, but it is a fair question to ask who really receiving more benefit. All I know is my life is the only one I can control, and I don't take issue with other people unless they directly harm me physically or financially. No one likes taxes, or seeing their tax money wasted, but for that matter I think way more is wasted on the defense complex than sometimes dubious welfare. Sometimes I wonder if people just need scapegoats for their own failings or misery.

 

Ramble ramble

[Excel]

Does it tell us much to post electoral maps and maps shaded by income levels?

 

The maps have pretty colors.

 

Yes they do but hey they're just maps.

 

Here's a fun one. Poland most recent electoral map:

 

 

Civic Platform, PO, (orange) is the moderate to moderately conservative pro-EU party while Law & Justice, PiS, (blue) is the moderately-conservative to far-right-wing euro-sceptic party.

 

 

 

So yea. Maps can be decieving and junk.

Thanks Bucky!

 

I spent a lot of time in Poland last summer and that puts some things into perspective. Didn't realize the political divide was that territorial; I thought they hated Germans and Russians equally.

 

 

No problem but what do those maps actually show? Is it an economic divide that causes the differences in voting? A geographic divide? Historical? Probably a little bit of each. Just like in the US.

[knapplc]

Not two days ago I was at a Kwik Shop in Lincoln, stuck in line behind a lady that used an EBT card to buy pork rinds, candy bars, ice cream, and soda, while using cash to buy malt liquor, vodka, flavored cigars, and lotto cards. It was one the stupidest scenes I've ever seen in my life, and I promise, this is not a scene invented for effect on the internet. I completely understand why a lot of conservative Republicans are outraged by people like this that can only be described as leeches with no self respect. This sort of crap that's on display on a regular basis is something that liberal Democrats often underestimate, or perhaps we just carefully ignore, even if the reality is that 8 out of 10 people who receive food stamps are elderly or disabled people that you'll never notice. It's more than a numbers game where 10% waste with social welfare programs (whatever it is) is ok, because the waste is all people see, and that makes them angry, even if 90% efficiency is entirely defensible.

 

Being from Nebraska, the balance of probability is that she's probably Republican herself.

[strigori]

Please. The right counts on the poor and uneducated far more than the left.

 

FAR more?

I'll admit that was a poor attempt at a joke, but I'd quess there's some truth to the theory that most of the people that want or would benefit from this sort of government intervention lean to the Left

 

The current republican party relies almost exclusively on the willfully ignorant, religious fanatics who vote against their own economic interests. That's pretty much the definition of the Tea Party. Morons who wear their ignorance like badge of honor.

 

OK..Agree with you there...But...Does the Tea Party still exist?

To the first part, yeah I stand by that. The Red state graphs back me up there in regards to percentages living in poverty.

 

And to the Tea Party, yeah, they are still around. They still make up a good chunk of the republicans in the House, and are often the ones with the biggest mouths.

[deedsker]

No problem but what do those maps actually show? Is it an economic divide that causes the differences in voting? A geographic divide? Historical? Probably a little bit of each. Just like in the US.

 

It is actually a historical issue where Polish collective resided further to the east and bordered Russia and the Prussians. Due to wars and hostile takeover Polish heritage was washed out. Between WW2 and Russian occupancy, Polish heritage was crushed and when the fall of communism occurred, arbitrary borders given to Poland were further west than when they were a sovereign nation.

 

The political map you show is an indicator of foreign influence and hostile occupancy.

[BigRedBuster]

Please. The right counts on the poor and uneducated far more than the left.

 

FAR more?

I'll admit that was a poor attempt at a joke, but I'd quess there's some truth to the theory that most of the people that want or would benefit from this sort of government intervention lean to the Left

 

The current republican party relies almost exclusively on the willfully ignorant, religious fanatics who vote against their own economic interests. That's pretty much the definition of the Tea Party. Morons who wear their ignorance like badge of honor.

 

OK..Agree with you there...But...Does the Tea Party still exist?

To the first part, yeah I stand by that. The Red state graphs back me up there in regards to percentages living in poverty.

 

And to the Tea Party, yeah, they are still around. They still make up a good chunk of the republicans in the House, and are often the ones with the biggest mouths.

 

Even though the stats I have posted prove it wrong.

[strigori]

Please. The right counts on the poor and uneducated far more than the left.

 

FAR more?

I'll admit that was a poor attempt at a joke, but I'd quess there's some truth to the theory that most of the people that want or would benefit from this sort of government intervention lean to the Left

 

The current republican party relies almost exclusively on the willfully ignorant, religious fanatics who vote against their own economic interests. That's pretty much the definition of the Tea Party. Morons who wear their ignorance like badge of honor.

 

OK..Agree with you there...But...Does the Tea Party still exist?

To the first part, yeah I stand by that. The Red state graphs back me up there in regards to percentages living in poverty.

 

And to the Tea Party, yeah, they are still around. They still make up a good chunk of the republicans in the House, and are often the ones with the biggest mouths.

 

Even though the stats I have posted prove it wrong.

And plenty of other posts have backed my stance. The lone fact that the reddest states are the poorest states means little.

[BigRedBuster]

 

And plenty of other posts have backed my stance. The lone fact that the reddest states are the poorest states means little.

 

 

Interesting....you still think the poor support Republicans FAR more than Democrats. Color me surprised.

[Hingle McCringleberry]

Not two days ago I was at a Kwik Shop in Lincoln, stuck in line behind a lady that used an EBT card to buy pork rinds, candy bars, ice cream, and soda, while using cash to buy malt liquor, vodka, flavored cigars, and lotto cards. It was one the stupidest scenes I've ever seen in my life, and I promise, this is not a scene invented for effect on the internet. I completely understand why a lot of conservative Republicans are outraged by people like this that can only be described as leeches with no self respect. This sort of crap that's on display on a regular basis is something that liberal Democrats often underestimate, or perhaps we just carefully ignore, even if the reality is that 8 out of 10 people who receive food stamps are elderly or disabled people that you'll never notice. It's more than a numbers game where 10% waste with social welfare programs (whatever it is) is ok, because the waste is all people see, and that makes them angry, even if 90% efficiency is entirely defensible.

 

If nothing else, think about this for a second also. If you you make less than roughly 150k as an individual, or 250k as a household, even more with children, you will also be a net receiver of social benefits if you live to age 80. If you are a wise investor and max our your IRA and 401k contributions every year, you cost the federal government far more in revenue than the lady spending $100 month on junk food with an EBT card. That's not a defense of that lady's lifestyle, but it is a fair question to ask who really receiving more benefit. All I know is my life is the only one I can control, and I don't take issue with other people unless they directly harm me physically or financially. No one likes taxes, or seeing their tax money wasted, but for that matter I think way more is wasted on the defense complex than sometimes dubious welfare. Sometimes I wonder if people just need scapegoats for their own failings or misery.

 

Ramble ramble

 

 

I think its just more in your face. The woman making a scene over EBT, then buying booze and lotto tickets that get stuffed into a Coach purse is right there for all to see. Its harder to see the billions wasted on unnecessary defense programs, drug wars, "shovel ready projects", corporate welfare, bailouts, etc etc etc etc... I cant do anything about it, but I feel somewhat vindicated by being pissed at the EBT person, and how she is wasting MY tax money.