Texas isn’t just leading the nation in job growth—it’s doing it more equitably,

quote:

---

I had no idea the left had such a strong dislike for Texas.

---

I like Austin but I don't care for the shallow/superficial culture of Dallas or the blandness of Houston. I don't mind Ft. Worth or San Antonio though.

"You may all go to hell and I will go to Texas"

quote:

---

Gini coefficient

---

I don't think income inequality is neccessarily a bad thing. After all, income inequality rose in the 90's and that wasn't a problem because every tier saw growth. I think the issue some people have now rightly or wrongly is that the perception is that unlike the 90's, income inequality today is being fueled by the top earners at the expense of everyone else.

quote:

---

The "left" dislikes rugged individualism

---

that could not be farther from the truth.

quote:

---

You would be a liberal unicorn. Income inequality is one of their battle cries.

---

Well I can think for myself and I can see that democratic politicians, people not necessarily committed to the ideal of liberalism, use that as a battle cry to get votes, and the less sophisticated sector of the liberal voting bloc eats it up.

I will say that the type income inequality we're currently experiencing, where wages for many workers remain flat, if continued for another few decades would start to become harmful. But I don't think we're there yet nor do i think it's really a liberal vs conservative issue. There are much bigger forces at work.

Libs don't hate individualism, they just view it differently, but dislike it from a right wing perspective.

Also, inequality is a leftist staple.

LINK

ALso, libs understand individuality, they do not embrace individualism.

quote:

---

As much as the two ends of this really very small spectrum might dislike the other, conservatives and liberals share altogether a great deal in common in their views about individualism. As I discussed in “Individuality and Individualism,” individualism actually interferes with the fullest expression of individuality. Individualism is an ideology that celebrates individuals in opposition to the group, a recipe for profound problems both for individuals themselves and for the group. Individuality, on the other hand, is a readily recognizable fact: individuals differ from one another in temperament, taste, abilities, and so on.

---

quote:

---

Liberals, on the other hand, acknowledge the impact of social factors such as racism, nativism, and other forms of structural discrimination such as sexism and homophobia. They support governmental measures such as affirmative action, assistance to the poor, and public subsidies to help to alleviate institutional discrimination and historic disadvantages. The underlying logic of liberalism is that there should be a fairer “footrace” in which individuals are not hampered by forces outside of their personal control and are allowed as much as possible to compete as individuals on equal terms with others.

---

And my favorite

quote:

---

The political career of Barack Obama is an example in microcosm of this: liberals still largely support Obama on the grounds that he represents a step forward because of his color. Yet Obama only became the darling of key elements of the Democratic Party leadership and larger ruling class power structure because he is willing to sell out those among the oppressed and those who emphasize with the oppressed who see Obama as their champion. White House policy under Obama is only rhetorically different from what a McCain or Romney White House

---

I agree with most of that. I think mainstream liberalism and the democrats have lost its way a bit under Obama.

Example #1- Bill Clinton balanced the budget, Ronald Reagan and the Republicans were the ones who saw deficit spending as a means to spur the economy for political gain. Now we're right in lock step with them and in the process have lost the moral high ground.

Example #2- Libertarians have largely usurped the social crusade against the police state and government surveillance. Pre-Obama that was a major tenet of the democrats but again they have decided to not speak out once Obama took the oath and subsequently broke all his promises in this area.

There are a lot of other examples of this too. I'm curious to see where the conversation will go in 2016 and beyond.

Okay, and?

i didn't read them.

Dallas still sucks though.