A not-so-obvious reason is the relativism of modern moral discourse, best expressed in the theory known as “emotivism.”
Daniel Lattier | October 28, 2015
Many in our audience express dismay about people not being able to discuss hot-button issues – politics, religion, race, sexuality – without it devolving into anger and name-calling.
Why is it that people can’t have a disagreement without taking things so damn personally?
Well, one obvious reason is human nature. Our positions on controversial topics are usually the manifestations of some of our most deeply held principles. It can take years of education and growth to meet disagreements with these with magnanimity.
But I think a not-so-obvious reason is the relativism of modern moral discourse, best expressed in the theory known as “emotivism.”
In After Virtue, Alasdair MacIntyre wrote that “emotivism has become embodied in our culture.”
He defined it as “… the doctrine that all evaluative judgments and more specifically all moral judgments are nothing but expressions of preference, expressions of attitude or feeling.” In other words, emotivism holds that there can be no way of rationally justifying one’s claims about those controversial issues mentioned above.
All polls are now pointing in the same direction: Hillary Clinton is tanking.
The most recent Fox News poll, taken after the new year began, shows her losing to Ted Cruz, 50 percent to 43 percent; to Marco Rubio, 50 percent to 41 percent; and even to Donald Trump, 47 percent to 43 percent. The latest Democratic primary poll, by Investor’s Business Daily, shows the former secretary of State nursing only a 4-point lead over Bernie Sanders, 43 percent to 39 percent. The RealClearPolitics average of New Hampshire polls has Sanders ahead by 6 points — and in Iowa, the candidates are tied in the RCP average, which Clinton led for months.
Beneath the overall head-to-head data, the internals of the polling show a sharp erosion of support for Clinton among women and very little change among male voters.
Among women, she has lost her lead over Cruz, falling from 13 points ahead in a Fox News poll on Dec. 17 to 3 points behind in Fox’s Jan. 7 survey. Among men, she moved from 15 points behind Cruz in December to 14 points back in January.
So while Clinton has lost 16 points among women against Cruz, she is essentially unchanged among men.
The Fox News poll had similar findings for a match-up between Clinton and Rubio. And against Trump, she went from beating The Donald among women by 26 points in December to only 12 points in January.
Ridgewood NJ, Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) issued the following statement after President Obama delivered his final State of the Union address:
“Tonight’s State of the Union address seemed like a victory lap for the president, but for many Americans victory is still nowhere in sight. The six million people still looking for full time employment haven’t seen victory. Neither have those who lost their health care or preferred doctor because of ObamaCare. Or the future generations who will be burdened with debt because of the reckless spending of this administration.
“We must work hard to unleash the American spirit so everyone can pursue their dreams. That means meaningful reforms that reduce regulatory burdens, fix the broken tax code, and rein in the national debt. These are solutions that will empower Main Streets in New Jersey, not bureaucracies in Washington, D.C.
“Additionally, I was troubled by only one fleeting mention of the nuclear deal with Iran and nothing about the U.S. Navy vessels and their crews that are being held captive by Iran. This deal is fundamentally flawed and Iran cannot be left on a path to obtain nuclear capabilities in a few short years.
“If the president wants to work on cutting red tape and regulations, I invite him to join the House Financial Services Committee in looking at the 400 new rules imposed by Dodd-Frank and their massive compliance costs that are being passed along to hardworking families. If he wants to put the American people first, I encourage him to look at the ObamaCare repeal bill that would put health care back in the control of the American people that he vetoed last week. And if he’s serious about the future of America, please Mr. President, deliver a budget next month that actually balances to preserve prosperity for our children and grandchildren.
“We can do better, and this year the House will continue to put forward ideas and legislation that put Americans in the driver’s seat to recovery. I invite the president to join us.”
Ridgewood NJ, Ridgewood Environmental Advisory Committee (REAC) in conjunction with the Park and Recreation Department is pleased to present a series of environmentally focused programs – Back to Basics – Healthy Lifestyle. The first program will be Monday, January 25th at 7:00pm in the Community Center Senior Lounge and the topic will be
“Understanding Lead Poisoning.” This will be an informational presentation by Dawn Cetrulo, Health Supervisor, Ridgewood Health Department and Danielle Cinnante, Health Educator, Valley Hospital. All are invited to this free program. Future topics in this series will be Beekeeping Basics; Streetscapes – Trees, Sidewalks, Roads and Re forestation; Backyard Composting; From Garden to Table; Recycling – After materials leave the curb. Details to follow.
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ , YWCA Bergen County now offers babysitting for children ages 3 to 12 years at YWCA Bergen County, 112 Oak Street, Ridgewood, NJ. Babysitting is now available with dates offered through Wednesday, February 24, 2016.
Let the YWCA Bergen County’s experienced child care staff provide your babysitting needs! It is one less thing to stress about! Your children will be safe and engaged at a place they know and love. YWCA’s reliable and caring staff will help put a little sanity back in your week.
For ages 3 to 5 years: Babysitting is offered from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. Each date of Babysitting is $30 for YWCA 360 Members ($20 for each additional sibling), $40 for YWCA Program/Swim Members ($30 for each additional sibling) and $50 for Non-Members ($40 for each additional sibling).
For ages 5 to 12 years: Babysitting is offered from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturdays. Each date of Babysitting is $50 for YWCA 360 Members ($40 for each additional sibling), $60 for YWCA Program/Swim Members ($50 for each additional sibling) and $70 for Non-Members ($60 for each additional sibling).
Children must be registered 48 hours prior to attendance. Registration forms are available athttps://www.ywcabergencounty.org/PLymu. For more details or to register, contact Mary at 201-444-5600 ext. 352 or [email protected].
Ridgewood NJ , Discrepancies in the interpretative statement and contradictory statements made by Various Council members served only to confuse voters and obfuscate the council majority’s intentions.
Readers have echoed “The electorate was also PROMISED that the sign and scale could be negotiated. The electorate was lied to and misled. Furthermore, there is not disagreement on funding so why go to BCIA? only to get the design the three want…how is that reasonable??”
Other readers repeated the sentiment, “the electorate voted for a garage in a “Non-Binding Referendum”.The actual vote for the bond failed 3-2. That was the only vote that was binding. ”
While most who spoke at the Council meeting on January 6th , believed there was some measures were needed to ease peak parking issues in the Central Business District (CBD) most of the 100 plus people who showed at the meeting came to the conclusion that a super sized garage was an over kill.
The crux of the misinformation issue circled around the fact that the garage is built into Hudson street . Jetting out at least 10 feet into the street. That is not building a garage on the lot. Many felt they voted for a garage on the lot. Not street.
While others thought that the council majority , “grossly and intentionally withheld the information that it was on the street.” While other who spoke cited example after example where council members contradicted each other or gave what was later on perceived as misleading information .
The people did vote for a garage just not one that changes Hudson Street so profoundly and dwarfs Mount Carmel. We were led to believe the design and size were still up for discussion. Many suggestions at the meeting called for additional parking venues closer to the center of town, refiguring of streets and relining of current spaces. Financial feasibility is important but for many it is more about traffic concerns, safety and if the structure will be neighborhood and user friendly. I only saw impassioned speakers being very civil but I did see a council member completely lose it. People hate to be lectured on civility by people who often behave uncivilly. It is really hard to stand up at a meeting and speak. It is a nerve racking experience that takes many of us out of our comfort zone. I admire those that do. One speaking out represents 20 who feel similarly but didn’t. A 100 people speaking out is more like a mandate. I don’t understand why the council majority would not be guided by that.
Please note that every single person who comes to meetings and speaks at the mic is absolutely not anonymous, and they are on the front line. Some of these people get attacked verbally by people from the dais and also from other residents. Dana Glazer was polite and soft spoken. He did not accuse Albert of anything…..he made a general observation to all five council meetings that he could not understand what the rush was with this project, and he wondered aloud if the upcoming election was a factor. Albert in his great cloud of ego started shouting and making threats, it was horrible and it was frightening to behold. An elected official absolutely does not have the right to volley off threats from the dais, or for that matter at any time. Yes, elected officials should maintain their cool, as most do, most especially in the face of something as benign as Dana Glazer’s calm and thoughtful presentation. For sure they should not be issuing threats and accusing people of being stalkers.
A garage that will extend into Hudson street by 10 feet and dwarf Mount Carmel should not be built. All 3 options do just that. Also our mayor kept saying questions would be answered after all speakers made their statements. This did not happen. but of all the things that happened the worst and most frightening was Albert’s vcomplete loss of control directing his anger at Mr. Glazer. The gentleman was speaking from emotion as he had just witnessed the previous speaker who was voicing her concerns in a heartfelt manner. All totally acceptable. Mr. Glazer was at a loss as to why the council majority was pushing forward regardless of public opinion. He asked if this was due to the upcoming elections. We all think that this may be part of it. The deputy mayor was so angry, I actually thought the police might be called. It also sounded threatening and that is very serious. We’ have to hear about being civil and not applauding regularly. I truly am appalled that the mayor runs civility meetings. But to have an elected official be the biggest offender is most troubling. A public apology isn’t enough. He needs to step down.
Ridgewood Public Schools will drive emptynesters out of the village. The cycle is moving faster. Soon the town will be unable to afford all the kids in the district with special needs and the red-shirted “gifted”. Our reputation for quality schools is not based on out full/half day K program.
Full day K will definitely raise my taxes, it will not increase the quality of a Ridgewood Education.
I am saying this as someone who moved to the town before I had children . I paid taxes before, during and after I had children in the district. No one moves to Ridgewood for full day K. There are many great enrichment programs, some with transportation for working parents. Be grateful for what you have.
This survey is more likely to be filled out by people with preschool children. How are they reaching residents of all ages? They made it easy to be filled out by one part of the population Click here to take the survey.
It is not hard to take this survey more than once. I hope that the board does not think that this is a representative sample of taxpayers
Ridgewood NJ , Anthony Lillo took the helm as director and chief of Ridgewood Emergency Services on Jan. 9.Lillo, 57, was sworn in by Ridgewood Mayor Paul Aronsohn at the Departments annual installation dinner. Lillo’s emergency services career began in 1991 and he joined Ridgewood Special Operations in 1999. Lillo, an EMT, has served in various leadership positions during his tenure, most recently as deputy chief.
Chief Lillo has worked with Ridgewood Central Dispatch and has extensive background in computer disaster recovery and disaster management as a project manager. He is enrolled in the Certified Public Managers Program at Rutgers University. Chief Lillo succeeds Brian Pullman who retired after serving as director and chief of Ridgewood Emergency Services for 10 years.
Robert Greenlaw, the founder, director and chief of emergency services for 25 years, praised Pullman’s commitment and service saying he helped make the organization what it is today. Pullman joined Ridgewood Emergency Services in 1993.
In addition to Lillo being named director and chief, the other officers were announced during the installation dinner. The 2016 officers include: Deputy Chief Ryan Savaria; Medical Director Dr. Bob Lahita; Public Information Officers Richard Breining and Bob Krane; EMS Captain Murray Yang; EMS Lieutenants John Baker, Brendan Fischer, Emily Benjamin and James Bigos; Special Operations Captain John Epperlein; Special Operations Lieutenants Mike Butler, Eric Frielink and Ace Antonio; Teens in Emergency Services (TIES) Captain Corrine Scarpa; and TIES Lieutenant Kevin Scarpa.
In 2015, Ridgewood Emergency Services responded to 1704 requests for assistance. This amounts to 19,236 hours donated by the volunteers to the Village of Ridgewood on active duty. It does not include time spent on training, meetings, meeting and event preparation. A cost savings of over $1 million dollars to the Village of Ridgewood.
Tavis Smiley: On Every Leading Economic Issue Black Americans Have Lost Ground Under Obama
Jim Hoft Jan 11th, 2016 8:53 pm
On Monday night urban radio show host Tavis Smiley told Megyn Kelly Barack Obama has failed black Americans as president.
Megyn Kelly: On the subject of race, are we better off today that seven years ago?
Tavis Smiley: I’m not sure we are and I think ultimately the president missed a moment… On every leading economic issue, in the leading economic issues Black Americans have lost ground in every one of those leading categories. So in the last ten years it hasn’t been good for black folk. This is the president’s most loyal constituency that didn’t gain any ground in that period.
Conservative Larry Elder wrote about the increase in black poverty under Obama last year.
Via Townhall:
What about poverty? In 2009, when Obama took office, the black poverty rate was 25.8 percent. As of 2014, according to Pew Research Center, the black poverty rate was 27.2 percent.
What about income? CNNMoney says, “Minority households’ median income fell 9 percent between 2010 and 2013, compared to a drop of only 1 percent for whites.” The Financial Times wrote last October: “Since 2009, median non-white household income has dropped by almost a 10th to $33,000 a year, according to the U.S. Federal Reserve’s survey of consumer finances. As a whole, median incomes fell by 5 percent. But by the more telling measure of net wealth — assets minus liabilities — the numbers offer a more troubling story.”
What about net worth and the black-white “wealth gap”? The Financial Times said: “The median non-white family today has a net worth of just $18,100 — almost a fifth lower than it was when Mr. Obama took office. White median wealth, on the other hand, has inched up by 1 percent to $142,000. In 2009, white households were seven times richer than their black counterparts. That gap is now eightfold. Both in relative and absolute terms, blacks are doing worse under Mr. Obama.” Remember, these numbers apply to all “non-whites.” For blacks, it’s worse.
When looking only at “black net worth” — which is lower compared to non-whites as a whole — white households are actually 13 times wealthier than black households. From 2010 to 2013, according to the Federal Reserve, white household median wealth increased a modest 2.4 percent, while Hispanic families’ wealth declined 14 percent, to $13,700. But blacks’ net worth fell from $16,600 to $11,000. This is an astonishing three-year drop of 34 percent. Investors Business Daily put it this way, “That’s a steeper decline than occurred from 2007 to 2010, when blacks’ net worth fell 13.5 percent.” The black/white “wealth-gap” has reached a 25-year high.
What about unemployment? In 2009, black unemployment was 12.7 percent, and by 2014, it had fallen to 10.1 percent. This sounds like good news until one examines the black labor force participation rate — the percentage of blacks working or seeking work. It’s the lowest since these numbers have been recorded.
Textbook sales leader says national Common Core education standards are ‘all about the money’ as teacher insists bureaucrats created a ‘new f**king system that f**king sucks to sell more books’
Conservative muckraker group Project Veritas caught a textbook sales executive and a New York teacher talking about Common Core standards ‘I hate kids,’ confessed the textbook sales leader. ‘I’m in it to sell books. Don’t even kid yourself for a heartbeat’ Hidden camera video shows teacher hammering the program as a ‘bulls**t’ system designed ‘to sell more books’ ‘Oh my god, it’s all a money game. It’s all a money game,’ she said Houghton Mifflin Harcourt fired the sales executive Tuesday morning after DailyMail.com told the company about the video
The guerrilla video crew that exposed Obamaphone cheaters and shut down the left-wing advocacy group ACORN is at it again, this time hammering the ‘Common Core’ education standards as a scheme for publishers to sell more textbooks.
The West Coast sales manager from one of the nation’s biggest school book sellers, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, told an undercover muckraker with Project Veritas that ‘I hate kids.’
‘I’m in it to sell books,’ Dianne Barrow said of her advocacy for Common Core. ‘Don’t even kid yourself for a heartbeat.’
She added that ‘it’s all about the money. What are you, crazy? It’s all about the money.’
‘You don’t think that the educational publishing companies are in it for education, do you? No, they’re in it for the money.’
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Rep. Scott Garrett (NJ-05) issued the following statement before President Obama’s final State of the Union address this evening:
“Like a bad New Year’s Resolution, for the past six January’s President Obama has come before Congress and the American people and delivered a State of the Union address that promises that this year things will be different. But despite all of the president’s words and promises, our economy continues to struggle, the national debt threatens the future of our country, and the nuclear deal struck with Iran and lack of a clear strategy against ISIS make the world a more dangerous place for the United States.
“Tonight is a chance for the president to leave the rhetoric and failed policies behind him and come to Capitol Hill with something new. Hardworking Americans deserve an outline for a people first, pro-growth economy, a real plan to balance the budget, a strategy to protect the United States, and an emphasis on the rights and liberties granted by the Constitution. Those are 2016 resolutions that everyone can get behind.”
Rep. Scott Garrett is a senior member of the House Budget Committee and Chairman of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Capital Markets and Government-Sponsored Enterprises.
Ridgewood Nj, Peter Deuber of Ridgewood, New Jersey passed away Monday, January 4th at Select Specialty Hospital in Rochelle Park, New Jersey. He was born in Manhattan on January 17,1932 and grew up in Ridgewood, New Jersey. He attended Ridgewood High School and majored in Economics at Columbia. He worked in sales and the building trade in New Jersey. Peter had a great love of gardening, landscaping, and horticulture. > > Peter leaves behind his loving long term partner, Helen Eagy, ex-wife Mary Lou, and cousin Robert Huber; his two daughters: Nancy Gameson (Lyn) and Sharon Richter (Marc); five grandchildren: Ceri Gameson, Victoria Richter, Margaret Richter, Abigail Richter, and Joshua Richter. Burial will be private.
This would be a positive for the country. (Though some will of course wail.) Unions shouldn’t be able to just take money out of people’s paychecks just because a particular union says that it represents a particular worker. That’s crazy.
I am of the opinion that in theory private sector unions can actually be valid tools within the marketplace. They help to set expectations for employees and management alike while also creating some degree of employment stability for workers. So long as such a private union is based upon free association and not a tool of cronyism (this is of course the rub), and doesn’t coerce fees from its members, I can see how a private union, again in theory, can be a perfectly good thing. However, in a government situation, where the taxpayers are the employers, unions shouldn’t be allowed. Governments are nearly always hijacked by public sector unions which “negotiate” with politicians who are elected with money from the public unions. Even FDR thought public unions were a bad idea.
