Apply Now!

Independents’ vote vital to state’s House race

OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
Independents

“The independent voters are very concerned about the same things I am: our economy and the spending and the policies coming out of this administration in Washington, D.C.,” Noem said. “There is frustration with federal bureaucracy and the feeling that we are spending ourselves to death. That’s something that’s really alarming to them.”

Daugaard campaign manager Tony Venhuizen said. “My sense is that, nationally and in South Dakota, independent voters are rejecting the direction of things in Washington and are turning to Republicans to bring some restraint and common sense back into government.”

That might be, but Wright isn’t thrilled with the way Republicans operate, either.

“The two major parties seem to be at such an impasse with each other. I'm not optimistic that we will see big changes should Republicans regain a majority,” she said.
 
layoutshooter

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Spot on. Our ONLY hope is that we MIGHT get people with NO political background. You know REAL people? The way it was set up to be. REAL people who believe in personal responsibility, bringing down the "nanny" state etc.
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
I think just having the threat of the independents will make the 2 main straighten out somewhat..
This 2 party deal just isn't working anymore..
 
layoutshooter

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
OntarioVanMan said:
I think just having the threat of the independents will make the 2 main straighten out somewhat..
This 2 party deal just isn't working anymore..
Click to expand...

It is not the 2 party deal that is the problem. The problem is that we, as a Nation, stopped controlling those parties and allowed them to become what they are. They have become corrupt and arrogant. It is time to either gut them or get rid of them and start over with two new ones.
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
In a related story...

AP-GfK Poll: Independent voters sour on Democrats - Politics - msnbc.com

WASHINGTON — Independents who embraced President Barack Obama's call for change in 2008 are ready for a shift again, and that's worrisome news for Democrats.

Only 32 percent of those citing no allegiance to either major party say they want Democrats to keep control of Congress in this November's elections, according to combined results of recent Associated Press-GfK polls. That's way down from the 52 percent of independents who backed Obama over Republican Sen. John McCain two years ago, and the 49 percent to 41 percent edge by which they preferred Democratic candidates for the House in that election, according to exit polls of voters.

Independents voice especially strong concerns about the economy, with 9 in 10 calling it a top problem and no other issue coming close, the analysis of the AP-GfK polls shows. While Democrats and Republicans rank the economy the No. 1 problem in similar numbers, they are nearly as worried about their No. 2 issues, health care for Democrats and terrorism for Republicans.

Ominously for Democrats, independents trust Republicans more on the economy by a modest but telling 42 percent to 36 percent. That's bad news for the party that controls the White House and Congress at a time of near 10 percent unemployment and the slow economic recovery.

"People are just struggling, they need a job but there's nowhere to get a job," said independent Leilani Buxman, 55, of Greeley, Colo. Of Obama, she said, "It seems like he talks but he doesn't do anything about it."

Both parties court independents for obvious reasons. Besides their sheer number — 4 in 10 describe themselves as independents in combined AP-GfK polling for April, May and June — they are a crucial swing group.
Click to expand...
In a completely unrelated story, but one that may interest some in here...

Genetically Modified Canola Plants Escape Into Wild

Genetically modified canola plants have been found growing wild in the U.S., all over North Dakota, in some cases far from fields of cultivated genetically modified canola.

Results reported today at a meeting of the Ecological Society of America in Pittsburgh, Penn., suggest that the plants are reproducing on their own, making this the first report of an established population of GM organisms in the wild in the U.S., according to the team.

Meredith Schafer of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville had been scouring North Dakota without success for weedy relatives of the canola plant, to test whether they had acquired GM (Genetically Modified) traits through cross-pollination with the GM canola plants widely cultivated throughout the state.
Click to expand...
The whole story is pretty interesting. Basically, they've got two different kinds of genetically modified canola, both are genetically modified with genes that produce a protein that gives the plant resistance to two different common herbicides.

One gives resistance to Roundup, or glyphosate, and the other gives resistance to Liberty, or glufosinate. These GM traits allow farmers to spray their fields with these herbicides, eliminating other weeds while allowing the herbicide-resistant crop to grow.

So far so good, right. But, many of the plants growing in the wild have both genes, a combination that's not even available, as there are no plants that have been genetically modified with both genes to be resistant to both herbicides. It's either resistance to one herbicide or the other, but not both at the same time.

But they've gotten together and are reproducing in the wild. How kewl is that? :D
 
OntarioVanMan

OntarioVanMan

Retired Expediter
Owner/Operator
The ranchers out here hate the Canadian Thistle...an obnoxious weed...but it is appearing more commonly now...
 
layoutshooter

layoutshooter

Veteran Expediter
Retired Expediter
Purple Loosestrife is one, phragmities are another. They are doing a pretty good job with the loosestrife. They have a gm beetle that is sterile, at least so far, that ONLY eats loosestrife. Does a pretty good job. It is all but gone in our marsh.

Phragmities are a bigger problem now. No beetle yet. Highly resistant to herbicides. Takes over marshes quickly eliminating native plants that have food value. It is costing hundreds of millions to try to control that one. It was brought in by ships up that St. Lawrence Seaway thing AND people were planting it for ornimental reasons. Links below.




Google

Invasive Species: Aquatic Species - Common Reed (Phragmites australis)
 
Turtle

Turtle

Administrator
Staff member
Retired Expediter
"Could this stuff become another kudzu or multi-flora rose problem? That could be fun for the farmers."

This stuff in particular? No. It's a cultivated crop. That's like asking if corn or cotton could become another kudzu problem. However, it's close relatives, which are not cultivated and are agricultural weeds, could become a problem. Actually, it's close relatives already are a problem, and have been for as long as we've had agriculture. The closest relative is Wild Mustard, which grows wild nearly everywhere, and it's a hardy little bugger. You've seen 'em on the sides of roads, in fields, everywhere.

There's technically no such things as a canola plant. It's a made up word using "Canadian oil, low acid". Canola is a genetically engineered plant developed in Canada from the Rapeseed Plant, which is part of the mustard family of plants. It's genetically modified to have far less acid than the normal rapeseed plant, and has considerably reduced levels of the toxic glucosinates, so it's fit for human consumption, as well as livestock feed. About 50 or 60% of the seeds are oil, and the rest if high quality feed.

The word "rape" in rapeseed comes from the Latin word "rapum," meaning turnip. Turnip, rutabaga, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, mustard and many other vegetables are related to the two canola varieties commonly grown. Obviously, "rape oil" lends a bad connotation, so the more marketing-friendly name "Canola" was devised. The change in name also serves to distinguish it from regular rapeseed oil, which has much higher erucic acid content.

The thing is, many plants in the mustard family (brassica), are nothing more than aggressive weeds that have little or no agricultural value. In particular, the classic Wild Mustard (brassica kaber), which are responsible for a large percentage of crop losses because it overpowers the crops and destroys them. It can also become fatal to cattle when it is mixed in with the pasture greens and digested in large quantities. As well, it is a popular host to many pests, insects, fungi and viruses that cause severe damage to cultivated crops. Wild Mustard can be found everywhere. In cultivated fields, gardens, pastures, river banks, roadsides and waste places and landfills. It grows like, well, weeds. And it's about as close a relative to canola as you can get, which means it's likely that it will eventually crossbreed in the wild and take on the two genetically modified genes to become resistant to herbicide.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top