"I was in the upbringing of not discussing politics and religion so personally dislike those threads,"
Politics, probably more than religion, is pretty fundamental to all our lives. It's just a pity discussion of anything political so quickly descends into partisan vitriol.
I've just scanned a thread titled "We're Broke" (or something like that). Discussion of Australia's debt and deficit is important and relevant, but - with a few sensible comments excepted - it's all about petty squabbling between people with rusted on attachments to one side or the other, and as a result, pretty much a waste of reading time.
