Quake3World

Opposition wins landslide in Japan election

Voters were said to be dissatisfied with the ruling party's management of the economy and record-high unemployment. The vote was held as the country continued to struggle with a slumping economy, rising national debt and rapidly aging population.

During the campaign, the DPJ accused the government of ruining Japan's social security net and widening the gap between the rich and poor.

Oh hey look....a "left-of-centre" government actually exists in the western world.

So when is this planet gonna learn to simply ignore right-wingers on every issue that matters? They've been wrong about everything for as long as they've opened their mouths and have royally fucked up everything they've ever touched. I'm stumped...because the only thing those people care about is money yet people keep voting them in. You'd think humanity could have just moved on from this 50 years ago, but I guess - like everywhere else in the world - people are only concerned with themselves.

No wonder global warming will get worse and business-loving cocksuckers will continue to get rich.

And I'm no commie. I'm just calling it as I see it with the mountain of evidence that points to that conclusion. I fully understand the need for capitalism and the "drive of progress" that greed creates. But none of that belongs in politics. Not when the "welfare of the people" is supposed to be a government's highest priority. Governments should regulate markets, not become part of them at the expense of the populace.

in power for most of the last 54 years.

lol

In the US, they align themselves with issues like anti-gun-control, anti-gay-rights, anti-abortion, and they're known for cutting taxes rather than raising them. Plus there seem to be a lot of people that hate anything that resembles socialism.

I wonder if we could just give them Texas as their own country. Would solve a big part of the border control issue too

Yes, the republicans in the US do cut taxes, but they also tend to spend more.

yes but budget deficits are good because financing them takes money away from social spending. it's a cunning republicunt tactic to keep dems on a short leash

The real problem with right-wingers (besides being accomplished liars) is that they aren't team players. They only care about themselves, their cliques and those who they can profit from. This pretty much ensures that governments will fail to deliver for their people.

I've yet to hear a single idea from any pro-business politician that actually helped "the little guy", let alone even considered them. For the most part it's about doing favors for their buddies (nepotism run amok), taking bribes and ignoring issues that can be easily fixed if they only got one day's attention.

Plus the fact that conservatives who feel "government shouldn't do anything" are the ones who - when in power - fuck everything up only to say "see...government doesn't work".

Heck of a job, Brownie.

GONNAFISTYA wrote:The real problem with right-wingers ..

Wait till you get into Australian politics. The Australian Liberal Party is actually the right winged party with conservative policies whereas the Australian Labor Party is the left leaning one with liberal policies. It's good fun.

obvious american influence

What the fuck are you guys talking about?

The LDP has controlled Japan for the vast majority of its post-WWII history, and under this leadership the country worked itself up to become the 2nd largest economy in the world and one of the 3 countries with the lowest income inequality.

The only surprising thing here is the amount of time the LDP has been in power WITHOUT royally fucking up.

You aren't paying attention, are you?

The policies that have made Japan rebuilt from being nuked and made them the 2nd largest economy has also tanked the very same economy they've built up, sent the country into crazy debt and completely forgot about social programs. Sounds like american influence.

Not to mention creating an entire society of anal retentives that only the most recent generations have tried to come out from under. I can't even begin to tell the stories from friends of mine born and bred in Japan as they compare to more "liberal" societies.

There's more to life than the bottom line...which in this case...has fallen into a bottomless pit.

GONNAFISTYA wrote:Not to mention creating an entire society of anal retentives that only the most recent generations have tried to come out from under. I can't even begin to tell the stories from friends of mine born and bred in Japan as they compare to more "liberal" societies.

Go on...

Personally I'm all for the right-leaning with a bit of a backward slant but standing somewhere middle-left-sideways with one finger twiddling a hole in the lamppost whilst whistling the sugababes back catalogue parties.

vote for change kek

I think it's great that Japan became so prosperous after getting parts of it vaporized. It's just that, somewhere in the mix and hoola, people started believing that everyone would get rich if a few of them got really really really really rich. Trickle down is such a lie.

GONNAFISTYA wrote:You aren't paying attention, are you?

The policies that have made Japan rebuilt from being nuked and made them the 2nd largest economy has also tanked the very same economy they've built up, sent the country into crazy debt and completely forgot about social programs. Sounds like american influence.

Not to mention creating an entire society of anal retentives that only the most recent generations have tried to come out from under. I can't even begin to tell the stories from friends of mine born and bred in Japan as they compare to more "liberal" societies.

There's more to life than the bottom line...which in this case...has fallen into a bottomless pit.

ive always felt that the post japan has done what theyve done because of thier culture and work ethic

GONNAFISTYA wrote:I think it's great that Japan became so prosperous after getting parts of it vaporized. It's just that, somewhere in the mix and hoola, people started believing that everyone would get rich if a few of them got really really really really rich. Trickle down is such a lie.

Um, Japan has almost the lowest income inequality in the world?

GONNAFISTYA wrote:The policies that have made Japan rebuilt from being nuked and made them the 2nd largest economy has also tanked the very same economy they've built up, sent the country into crazy debt and completely forgot about social programs. Sounds like american influence.

Um, correct me if I'm wrong but Spain has been led by a far leftist/socialist America-hating government for 5 years. Oh, and I guess America's 9% unemployment doesn't seem so bad compared to their 25% unemployment there does it?

global warming is just going to kill the poor and the coastal folks

KingManULTRA wrote:
Um, Japan has almost the lowest income inequality in the world?

Um, correct me if I'm wrong but Spain has been led by a far leftist/socialist America-hating government for 5 years. Oh, and I guess America's 9% unemployment doesn't seem so bad compared to their 25% unemployment there does it?

Look. You're missing the point. This isn't about Japan or Spain or any other country. This isn't about unemployment variables and it's not about GDP. It's about an ideology. It's about money corrupting politics and the issues that money controls. It's about such insane "progressive" things as healthcare and other "non-issues". Politics isn't supposed to be a business model. It isn't supposed to be for the top 3%.

I recommend you ...er...download last Friday's Real Time with Bill Mahar and listen to his interview with Bill Moyers. Bill Moyers explains the problem quite nicely.

I think you are missing the point. You are arguing motivations instead of consequences. If Japan really does one of the lowest income inequalities in the world, then it has worked.

Didn't Japan move back to a pretty strict protectionist policy after WWII?

i think we're overlooking the real issue here, which is that the japanese are, by and large, a nation of fucking weirdos

Fender wrote:I think you are missing the point. You are arguing motivations instead of consequences. If Japan really does one of the lowest income inequalities in the world, then it has worked.

I was going to write a long-winded response to this to try explain what I'm getting at in making this thread...but I guess I'm too lazy.

While Japan is in of itself doing very well, it is the exception in terms of real equality...which I guess was my main point when I mentioned that conservatives only govern for the top 3%.

I guess one day I'll have reason to spell it all out.

I was wondering if you'd reply. I thought of something the other night about this. It could very well be something in the Japanese culture that makes it work. Maybe they have some culturally influenced checks and balances on their behavior that make the free market work better, vs. here in the US where it seems to be a downward spiral of greed.

Surely it's more a reflection of the Japanese ability to ignore the fact that their economy has been in the shitter since the late 80s?

GONNAFISTYA is a massive idiot.

I will take extreme right-wingedness any day over the mindfuck of socialism, like the one the Scandinavian countries run.

Case in point from Sweden: A carpenter lifts something heavy and has a small problem. He's healthy as anyone else, but the doctors say "he may never work again". He gets a free apartment and his previous wage free from the government. He also asks for a new car, and gets it. When my friend met the "disabled" carpenter skiing in the Alps (!), he admitted that a guy in his apartment complex, who works as a mid-level boss, earns about 10% more than his disability income, while pulling 12-hour shifts. He also hoped noone from the Swedish goverment saw him in the Alps.

Yes, I can see how you would like taking from the people who actually make some money and living off the proceeds like some rich guy's whore of a trophy wife.

BTW, here's an article of the socialist dream you seem to be getting your knickers wet about:
http://www.mckinsey.com/mgi/publication ... rities.asp