Thanks, host, your posts here are much much more valuable than most people seem to comprehend, and it’s always good to check in and see you strong and on target and not taking any crap . . . . And I envy your patience :thumbsup:

Toward the end of my time spent in TFPolitics, I found myself watching as threads degraded into sidelines of the intended topic. Often these discussions were quite interesting and informative, but did not draw me into reply as they were often sparring matches , and ego redemption. As this became more and more prevelant I simply lost interest in the forum politics and went elsewhere.
Each and every debate forum has its own personality and focus, as intended, and the members have the ability to guide these things if willing to put forth the intellect and energy required to enact change. This forum is case in point, as it is an ever evolving conglomeration of the people who frequently post and reply.
The point is, you all can make this little slice of opinion exchange into whatever you want it to be, if you have the inclination to do so......

It come down to whether the TFP political community simply wants an "opinion exchange" or a more thought provoking fact-based discussion forum.

It was the late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan (among others) who said, "We are each entitled to our own opinion, but no one is entitled to his own facts."

The most informative exchanges and discussions here have been those in which opinions on both sides of an issue are supported with facts. Unfortunately, IMO, that has not been the case in many such exchanges and discussions.

The first step to Pan's stated vision of compromise and consensus building for the greater good, which I (and I believe most here) share, is working from a mutually acceptable, factual based, data set.