Also, please tell me what I quoted that looks silly and why it looks silly. I really don't get that one!!! In fact I didn't really quote anything but rather segregated my response to the different segments of what I was responding to.
First, let me show you how I would have done what you did to explain what I mean with regard to quotation. The reason is that I rarely look in the quote itself for the answer. Had I been you, my post would have looked like so:
Paul:
1. Biden does more than give Amtrak "verbal support" - he rides it every day! And his son is on its Board.
What's your point? I drive my car every day and my wife rides with me. Does that mean I support higher gas prices any more that Biden's short train rides and his son being on Amtrak's board mean that Obama supports higher funding? Whoops! Guess I am wrong here and you do have a point since Obama represents the politics of tax and spend. My bad!
2. Who said anything about not looking at the candidates' other qualifications?
The statement I made was strictly reactive to what you stated and not directed toward you personally or any other specific individual for that matter. My apologies if you misinterputed or misunderstood my words.
3. Who said anything about not, as a member of the public, continuing to push for a better rail system?
Nobody that I know of stated it nor did I say anybody did! Is your intention here to tell me I don't have a right to express an impersonnal or non-specific statement or opinion if it differs from your own(?), or did I misinterput or misunderstand your words?
By the way, in case you haven't heard,
McCain is in favor of killing Amtrak - and putting all of its service in the hands of private enterprise.
This is an instance where you're somewhat right and where McCain is another Bush. Neither of these politicans are Amtrak fans! However, your point here is moot because despite Bush's continual position on Amtrak, Amtrak has not been "killed" by a long shot and it ain't about to happen under McCain either... especially with a democratic congress!
In conclusing I will state that I believe that we want the same thing for Amtrak, to thrive and survive, but I also want our country to thrive and survive too! Vote for who you chose and I will too!
I think this looks better, I think it doesn't look as obnoxious as red text, and its more clear to the reader- at least in my opinion. Keep in mind that I'm not trying to disprove your arguments this way, just trying to help you come across better. You do have a few valid and important points.
This coming from someone who would apparantly rather watch and be influenced by so called news from a bias liberal leaning network like NBC, MSNBC, CBS and CNN than one, despite leaning slightly to the right, gives the most unbiased and fair reporting one's seen in many a years?
Mark Twain, and many hundreds of others, once made the following not completely attributed famous statement: "It is better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt." That being said, I don't think you're a fool, but that comment sure makes you look like one. I have not watched a television news broadcast since 9/11/01, when I watched the events that day. It was the one time in the past 15 years I felt the promptness of being informed important enough to watch any sort of television whatsoever.
The Talmud says in it, "First learn. Then form opinions." I've taken this to heart, my friend.
I read two newspapers each day: The
Wall Street Journal and
The New York Times. Most other information I glean from places involves me searching for it and comparing it to several different sources. I hate biased news. I hate news delivered with the intent to sway opinion. I grab facts and leave the rest to people more easily swayed then I.
My liberal leanings? I'm a firm believer in the eventual superiority of Marx's predictions, which one day, many years in the future, will surely come to pass. Have been for years. I believe in mass transit over personal transportation. I believe that making things better now is not a good course, if at the expense of making things better overall in the future. I'm not your typical American. I have no ambitions other than being happy. I might be able to (probably am able to) make millions of dollars a year, if I worked my ass off, if I took on a stressful job, if I did things my moral sense tells me are wrong. (And that includes Walmarting!) But I'm not going to, because I'd rather enjoy myself and be relaxed.
And as for highway funding let me say this... I would not want to be driving across a bridge and have it drop out from under me! It happened in my general area on the NYS Thruway a number of years ago and some of those that perished never had their bodies recovered. A co-worker knew one of them personally! I'm reminded of that tragedy every time I cross the bridge replacement.
I would not want you driving across the bridge, period. I'd rather you avoid using your car unless it is absolutely nesscary. That is my perspective. Given that I'd like to see America entirely abandon her highway network and not use it by 2015, why the devil would I want to spend a dime upkeeping it? A bridge gets unstable? Close it. You have an iota of doubt about it? Demolish it.
My argument looks silly? This coming from someone who would like to see highway funding dropped? (or are you being factious?)
I'm not being facetious. My argument is not silly, if you bothered to consider why I might feel the way I feel. Unpopular? Yes. Silly? No.
I said your argument looks silly, in that the way you are making it makes you seem excessively biased, and really looks, to me at least, like you are intending to skew the facts and arrange them so as to make your argument look better. Doing that just makes you seem to be support something without much just cause. Which is unfair, because some of your reasons for supporting what you support make sense. You'd be better off attempting to portray them objectively.
Fact is, Joe, reasonable minds can differ. I, based on my ideas, my ideals, my perspectives, and my personal vision for humanity's future, believe we should be heading in a specific direction. Obama heads a lot more towards my vision than McCain does. Neither do it, but Obama comes closer. You do not share my vision. And thats fine. Few people do. I do not hold it against you that you differ in your goals for humanity and yourself.
Given what you seem to want, McCain is the right man for the job of the two. I just feel bad that your very valid arguments and perspectives get lost under a litany intended to discredit. Say not what Obama doesn't do or will be unable to do. Say what McCain does and can do for your goals.
I'll skip the fancy color of the font, and just reply to your points here in plain text:
