During This Election Cycle...

[OlDawg]

I thought I'd humor those who choose to read with some of my thoughts on this fine morning.

As anyone who reads my posts is aware, I'm not big on political parties. I consider myself a conservative libertarian. I believe in free markets and free people. I believe in individualism and personal liberty. My personal belief is the current political parties have long ago left their purpose of serving the people, and exist now only to collect power and stay in power. They exist to protect themselves, and the power they have--and can--accumulate. These are their primary drivers.

The future of our--and our kids/grandkids--way of life seems to have been turned into nothing more than a sporting event by the two major parties. They've minimized it to the point where we can literally gamble online about the future direction of our country. As a cynical view, I'd think they were doing it on purpose to simplify, divide, and distract.

With that said, I thought I'd post some quotes from one of my personal, favorite thinkers. If you've never heard of her, I'd recommend a quick look at some of her thoughts. If you have heard of her--but it's been awhile--it may be a good time to refresh your memories on some of her thoughts.

No matter which Party you choose, I'd hope that some of these quotes strike a nerve, help remind us all of what's made America great, why she was founded, and what can be accomplished when our freedoms are actually unleashed.

I'll step off my soapbox, and hope the below quotes are meaningful to everyone in some way. If you feel it's worthwhile, please post thoughts and/or quotes that are personally meaningful to you as they relate to our current political atmosphere. It would be interesting to me to see where people stand--aside from the specific headlines discussed in other threads. I'm curious if we all aren't closer in our beliefs than what we may think, or further apart.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

All quotes are courtesy of Ayn Rand

• America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way.
• Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
• Socialism is the doctrine that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that his life and his work do not belong to him, but belong to society, that the only justification of his existence is his service to society, and that society may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to be its own tribal, collective good.
• Whoever claims the right to redistribute the wealth produced by others is claiming the right to treat human beings as chattel.
• It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.
• Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others.

 

 

[AggiesAreWe]

1 hour ago, OlDawg said:

I thought I'd humor those who choose to read with some of my thoughts on this fine morning.

As anyone who reads my posts is aware, I'm not big on political parties. I consider myself a conservative libertarian. I believe in free markets and free people. I believe in individualism and personal liberty. My personal belief is the current political parties have long ago left their purpose of serving the people, and exist now only to collect power and stay in power. They exist to protect themselves, and the power they have--and can--accumulate. These are their primary drivers.

The future of our--and our kids/grandkids--way of life seems to have been turned into nothing more than a sporting event by the two major parties. They've minimized it to the point where we can literally gamble online about the future direction of our country. As a cynical view, I'd think they were doing it on purpose to simplify, divide, and distract.

With that said, I thought I'd post some quotes from one of my personal, favorite thinkers. If you've never heard of her, I'd recommend a quick look at some of her thoughts. If you have heard of her--but it's been awhile--it may be a good time to refresh your memories on some of her thoughts.

No matter which Party you choose, I'd hope that some of these quotes strike a nerve, help remind us all of what's made America great, why she was founded, and what can be accomplished when our freedoms are actually unleashed.

I'll step off my soapbox, and hope the below quotes are meaningful to everyone in some way. If you feel it's worthwhile, please post thoughts and/or quotes that are personally meaningful to you as they relate to our current political atmosphere. It would be interesting to me to see where people stand--aside from the specific headlines discussed in other threads. I'm curious if we all aren't closer in our beliefs than what we may think, or further apart.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

All quotes are courtesy of Ayn Rand

• America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way.
• Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
• Socialism is the doctrine that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that his life and his work do not belong to him, but belong to society, that the only justification of his existence is his service to society, and that society may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to be its own tribal, collective good.
• Whoever claims the right to redistribute the wealth produced by others is claiming the right to treat human beings as chattel.
• It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.
• Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others.

 

 

IMO, this is the greatest post ever made down here in this political forum. So much so that this thread probably should be pinned up top of the forum so it won't be pushed down the page.

The best perspective ever posted down here which is so refreshing considering some of these other posts being made that I consider complete garbage.

Thank you sir for this post. Very much appreciated.

[baddog]

On 5/8/2026 at 8:56 AM, OlDawg said:

I thought I'd humor those who choose to read with some of my thoughts on this fine morning.

As anyone who reads my posts is aware, I'm not big on political parties. I consider myself a conservative libertarian. I believe in free markets and free people. I believe in individualism and personal liberty. My personal belief is the current political parties have long ago left their purpose of serving the people, and exist now only to collect power and stay in power. They exist to protect themselves, and the power they have--and can--accumulate. These are their primary drivers.

The future of our--and our kids/grandkids--way of life seems to have been turned into nothing more than a sporting event by the two major parties. They've minimized it to the point where we can literally gamble online about the future direction of our country. As a cynical view, I'd think they were doing it on purpose to simplify, divide, and distract.

With that said, I thought I'd post some quotes from one of my personal, favorite thinkers. If you've never heard of her, I'd recommend a quick look at some of her thoughts. If you have heard of her--but it's been awhile--it may be a good time to refresh your memories on some of her thoughts.

No matter which Party you choose, I'd hope that some of these quotes strike a nerve, help remind us all of what's made America great, why she was founded, and what can be accomplished when our freedoms are actually unleashed.

I'll step off my soapbox, and hope the below quotes are meaningful to everyone in some way. If you feel it's worthwhile, please post thoughts and/or quotes that are personally meaningful to you as they relate to our current political atmosphere. It would be interesting to me to see where people stand--aside from the specific headlines discussed in other threads. I'm curious if we all aren't closer in our beliefs than what we may think, or further apart.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

All quotes are courtesy of Ayn Rand

• America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way.
• Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
• Socialism is the doctrine that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that his life and his work do not belong to him, but belong to society, that the only justification of his existence is his service to society, and that society may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to be its own tribal, collective good.
• Whoever claims the right to redistribute the wealth produced by others is claiming the right to treat human beings as chattel.
• It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.
• Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others.

 

 

Can’t add anything to what Aggie covered. On your quotes, we should all be concerned. Numbers 3&4 really jump out at me. I’m not a member of the Republican Party, but their conservative views align more with what I believe. Democrats have lost touch with what Americans want and have zero policy. Their collusion with communists and Islamist is very worrisome. Siding with criminals is unacceptable and will trigger vigilante justice if not curbed. 

[TheMissingBand]

1 hour ago, baddog said:

Siding with criminals is unacceptable and will trigger vigilante justice if not curbed. 

Trump is a proven rapist and insurrectionist and y’all still elected him. 
 

Rs are bigger crooks than the Ds. 

[thetragichippy]

12 hours ago, TheMissingBand said:

Trump is a proven rapist and insurrectionist and y’all still elected him. 
 

Rs are bigger crooks than the Ds. 

Trolling at it’s finest CB - noticing no one will have a serious conversation with you?

[TheMissingBand]

1 hour ago, thetragichippy said:

Trolling at it’s finest CB - noticing no one will have a serious conversation with you?

They’re just sick of me being right on EVERYTHING. 
 

I can’t blame them… I’d hide if I were them, too  

 

 

[AggiesAreWe]

46 minutes ago, TheMissingBand said:

They’re just sick of me being right on EVERYTHING. 
 

I can’t blame them… I’d hide if I were them, too  

 

 

Hmmmmm...... He addressed you as CB and you acknowledged by using the word "me".

Well, since CB account has been "unbanned", you are now breaking forum rules by having two active accounts.

I will allow you time to decide which account you want deleted. You can pm me your decision.

[TheMissingBand]

32 minutes ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Hmmmmm...... He addressed you as CB and you acknowledged by using the word "me".

Well, since CB account has been "unbanned", you are now breaking forum rules by having two active accounts.

I will allow you time to decide which account you want deleted. You can pm me your decision.

That’s weird… it looks like CB hasn’t been online since he was banned. I know he didn’t respond to the message that I sent to him either. 
 

And I’ve asked that people not call me CB, as it’s not who I am, but I guess that name-calling is okay.  Honestly, as a mod hippie should do better. 

[thetragichippy]

9 minutes ago, TheMissingBand said:

That’s weird… it looks like CB hasn’t been online since he was banned. I know he didn’t respond to the message that I sent to him either. 
 

And I’ve asked that people not call me CB, as it’s not who I am, but I guess that name-calling is okay.  Honestly, as a mod hippie should do better. 

At some point he is going to get tired of you mocking mods and the rules…… please continue

[TheMissingBand]

3 minutes ago, thetragichippy said:

At some point he is going to get tired of you mocking mods and the rules…… please continue

I’ve been a model poster here for almost 16 years with 700+ posts and not as much as warning, despite the constant name-calling that you and others keep sending my way…. But I’m the bad guy. 
 

I don’t understand.  
 

[Ty Cobb]

Tell them your screen name before you changed it. That should set the record straight.

[AggiesAreWe]

10 minutes ago, Ty Cobb said:

Tell them your screen name before you changed it. That should set the record straight.

That will not help.

[SmashMouth]

On 5/8/2026 at 8:56 AM, OlDawg said:

I thought I'd humor those who choose to read with some of my thoughts on this fine morning.

As anyone who reads my posts is aware, I'm not big on political parties. I consider myself a conservative libertarian. I believe in free markets and free people. I believe in individualism and personal liberty. My personal belief is the current political parties have long ago left their purpose of serving the people, and exist now only to collect power and stay in power. They exist to protect themselves, and the power they have--and can--accumulate. These are their primary drivers.

The future of our--and our kids/grandkids--way of life seems to have been turned into nothing more than a sporting event by the two major parties. They've minimized it to the point where we can literally gamble online about the future direction of our country. As a cynical view, I'd think they were doing it on purpose to simplify, divide, and distract.

With that said, I thought I'd post some quotes from one of my personal, favorite thinkers. If you've never heard of her, I'd recommend a quick look at some of her thoughts. If you have heard of her--but it's been awhile--it may be a good time to refresh your memories on some of her thoughts.

No matter which Party you choose, I'd hope that some of these quotes strike a nerve, help remind us all of what's made America great, why she was founded, and what can be accomplished when our freedoms are actually unleashed.

I'll step off my soapbox, and hope the below quotes are meaningful to everyone in some way. If you feel it's worthwhile, please post thoughts and/or quotes that are personally meaningful to you as they relate to our current political atmosphere. It would be interesting to me to see where people stand--aside from the specific headlines discussed in other threads. I'm curious if we all aren't closer in our beliefs than what we may think, or further apart.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

All quotes are courtesy of Ayn Rand

• America's abundance was created not by public sacrifices to the common good, but by the productive genius of free men who pursued their own personal interests and the making of their own private fortunes. They did not starve the people to pay for America's industrialization. They gave the people better jobs, higher wages, and cheaper goods with every new machine they invented, with every scientific discovery or technological advance- and thus the whole country was moving forward and profiting, not suffering, every step of the way.
• Individual rights are not subject to a public vote; a majority has no right to vote away the rights of a minority; the political function of rights is precisely to protect minorities from oppression by majorities (and the smallest minority on earth is the individual).
• Socialism is the doctrine that man has no right to exist for his own sake, that his life and his work do not belong to him, but belong to society, that the only justification of his existence is his service to society, and that society may dispose of him in any way it pleases for the sake of whatever it deems to be its own tribal, collective good.
• Whoever claims the right to redistribute the wealth produced by others is claiming the right to treat human beings as chattel.
• It only stands to reason that where there's sacrifice, there's someone collecting the sacrificial offerings. Where there's service, there is someone being served. The man who speaks to you of sacrifice is speaking of slaves and masters, and intends to be the master.
• Every government interference in the economy consists of giving an unearned benefit, extorted by force, to some men at the expense of others.

 

 

While some concepts of Ayn Rand's "philosophy" are interesting and true, she's hard to take as a whole. I studied her work quite a bit in the early 90's in my political science days. Most of her arguments are theoretic and less evidence-based. Plus she's a hypocrite. Lol. Despite the fact that she strongly criticized government programs, she received Social Security and Medicare in her later years. She was a radical, and as with most radical approaches, the real answer lies closer to the middle.

[AggiesAreWe]

47 minutes ago, TheMissingBand said:

That’s weird… it looks like CB hasn’t been online since he was banned. I know he didn’t respond to the message that I sent to him either. 
 

And I’ve asked that people not call me CB, as it’s not who I am, but I guess that name-calling is okay.  Honestly, as a mod hippie should do better. 

Maybe because he is already here and has been here since November 7, 2025. 

It seems this TMB account was silent for 13 years but then became very active right after the CB account was banned. Posts being made on the same subjects in the high school sports and political forums that CB posted on and in the same manner as CB. Even the subtle jabs at a couple certain towns athletics that CB was notoriously known for. 

Coincidence?? Not hardly.

You seem to forget what tools I have as an admin. IP searches are a cool tool.

[baddog]

20 minutes ago, AggiesAreWe said:

Maybe because he is already here and has been here since November 7, 2025. 

It seems this TMB account was silent for 13 years but then became very active right after the CB account was banned. Posts being made on the same subjects in the high school sports and political forums that CB posted on and in the same manner as CB. Even the subtle jabs at a couple certain towns athletics that CB was notoriously known for. 

Coincidence?? Not hardly.

You seem to forget what tools I have as an admin. IP searches are a cool tool.

Oops, those pesky little IP addresses. This was a decent thread.

[AggiesAreWe]

16 minutes ago, baddog said:

Oops, those pesky little IP addresses. This was a decent thread.

My apologies for disrupting the thread.

Needed to be said.

[baddog]

Just now, AggiesAreWe said:

My apologies for disrupting the thread.

Needed to be said.

Not directed to you. CB highjacked it with his Trump hate and never addressed the topic. You’re a mod and can interject anytime, no problem.