Barack Obama and the ‘blame Bush’ argument
At one point in his speech last night, President Obama tried to remind his listeners that many of the problems facing the nation had been inherited from his predecessor:
“By the time I took office, we had a one year deficit of over $1 trillion and projected deficits of $8 trillion over the next decade. Most of this was the result of not paying for two wars, two tax cuts, and an expensive prescription drug program. On top of that, the effects of the recession put a $3 trillion hole in our budget. All this was before I walked in the door.”
At which point, Sen. John McCain was seen turning to his seatmate Lindsey Graham and whispering “Blame it on Bush.”
It’s a point others have made as well. In a recent news story, for example, Fox News suggested that “one year into his administration, President Obama might want to consider dropping the ‘blame Bush’ page from his playbook.”
Before Obama’s speech, Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller were also joking about it. “Now, how many times do you think he’s going to blame Bush tonight?” O’Reilly asked. “I’m taking a little lottery here. You know, how many times do you think we’re going to have, “Well, we inherited this from that idiot, you know? What are we going to do?”
“My feeling is, you know, when he comes up that aisle at the beginning, he’ll be wearing a sandwich board that says, ‘Bush’s Fault’,” Miller said. “He’s not even going to wait until he gets to the mic.”
A few years back, though, another new president made his own first State of the Union speech under economic conditions somewhat similar to that of today. Here’s part of what that president said:
“To understand the State of the Union, we must look not only at where we are and where we’re going but where we’ve been. The situation at this time last year was truly ominous…
Late in 1981, we sank into the present recession largely because continued high interest rates hurt the auto industry and construction. And there was a drop in productivity and the already high unemployment increased…..
If we had not acted as we did, things would be far worse for all Americans than they are today. Inflation inflation, taxes and interest rates would all be higher. A year ago, Americans’ faith in their governmental process was steadily declining. Six out of ten Americans were saying they were pessimistic about their future…,
… The budget in place when I took office had been projected as balanced. It turned out to have one of the biggest deficits in history.
A new kind of defeatism was heard. Some said our domestic problems were uncontrollable that we had to learn to live with the-seemingly endless cycle of high inflation and high unemployment.
…. Our current problems are not the product of the recovery program that’s only just now getting under way, as some would have you believe; they are the inheritance of decades of tax and tax, and spend and spend.”
That president, of course, was Ronald Reagan. (h/t Think Progress)
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366 comments Add your comment
Hank Williams Jr..
January 28th, 2010
8:52 pm
WHEN THESE YAHOOS FINALLY GET OUSTED FROM THE WHITE HOUSE WE WONT HAVE TIME TO CLEAN UP THEIR MESS.
WAKE UP AMERICA, DAMMIT ALL HE PUKES OUT ARE LIES !!!!!!!!!!!!!
ME AND SARAH PALIN START TOURING NEXT WEEK. I’M GONNA SING ” A COUNTRY BOY CAN SURVIVE, “DIXIE ON MY MIND, AND “IF HEAVEN AINT ALOT LIKE DIXIE”.
SCHEDULED ON AMERICA’S #1 NEWS CHANNEL (FOX).
LOOK FOR US ON ” THE FACTOR’ (BILL O’RILEY).
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 28th, 2010
8:53 pm
If y’all keep giving me books to read, I’ll never get caught up.
Seriously, I’ll add The “Conquest of Mexico” to my read someday list.
A story I’ve often heard is that if the Cherokee in this area were out hunting squirrels or whatever and they ran into a hollow tree, the Cherokee would just plug the hole and cut the tree down. Don’t know if it’s actually true or not but it falls in there with the thinking about clear cutting. I don’t think anybody really started thinking about conservation until the 2nd half of the 19th Century (in the U. S. anyway). When populations were small, compared to today, they must’ve thought everything was in endless supply. I had an ancestor who is supposed to have killed 96 deer in one year here in North Georgia in 1833. I assume he was eating some and selling some. I doubt they were pleasure hunters in those days, wouldn’t have had the time between the clearing and farming and all. Of course by the turn of the 20th century, deer were almost extinct in Georgia and didn’t make a comeback until Arthur Woody started restocking them in the 1920’s.
If anybody is looking for Revolutionary War vets who served from Georgia or later lived in Georgia, I stumbled across this.
http://www.archive.org/stream/georgiasrosterrev00knigrich/georgiasrosterrev00knigrich_djvu.txt
Jenifer
January 28th, 2010
8:56 pm
“Surely you can’t be advocating birth control. Such hypocrisy.
In your case, I make an exception. You shouldn’t be reproducing.”
As I said, such hypocrisy.
Hey, since we’re on the subject of reproducing:
What if a 12 year old girl is raped and impregnated by her father?
Should she be forced to bear the child?
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
@@
“I have no problem with birth control. Just don’t think abortion should be used as a method of…”
Ditto. A straight woman’s version of the “G-d was I drunk last night syndrome.” I will concede that it’s ultimately a woman’s decision and I’m not out to pass judgment, but I do know from observation among those close to me, that it’s been “a ticket to ride” in way, way too many cases. And don’t get me started on straight men and their irresponsibility…I’m sort of like my mama, “I’m all for abortion on demand, provided we can make it retroactive…”
ROLLERGIRL
January 28th, 2010
8:57 pm
OBAMA CAVES ON KSM TRIAL IN MANHATTEN
White House orders Justice Department to look for other places to hold 9/11 terror trial
Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/ny_crime/2010/01/28/2010-01-28_white_house_orders_justice_department_to_look_for_other_places_to_hold_911_terro.html#ixzz0dxiuWfXX
White House officials have told the Justice Department to consider other venues for the 9/11 terror trial that was to be held in lower Manhattan, the Daily News has learned.
The decision came after Mayor Bloomberg and other politicians across the state railed against President Obama’s plan to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in Manhattan Federal Court.
Attorney General Eric Holder now has to think of other places where the trial could take place, officials said.
mmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Call It Like It Is
January 28th, 2010
8:58 pm
The real laugh is this moron Barry has done nothing but point fingers and blame America!
Most voted for this loser based upon his skin color only and not substance. Again, NO WE CAN’T!
One and Done!
Enough Said!
RW-(the original)
January 28th, 2010
9:01 pm
White House orders Justice Department to look for other places to hold 9/11 terror trial
Well PresBO did ask for suggestions to streamline things and save some cash, so I suggest a military tribunal at Gitmo. You’re welcome Barry and Eric.
Hank Williams Jr..
January 28th, 2010
9:04 pm
DONT MAKE ME START SINGING ON HERE!!!!!!!!
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
9:04 pm
hillbilly and yosarian–
The Chickasaw very early on entered into the deerskin trade and established a trading post in Carolina. When they had exhausted to supply to near extinction, they took to marketing their neighbors as slaves…when that supply was exhausted, the Europeans began to bring in Africans instead. The deer came back. Their neighbors did not.
Jenifer
January 28th, 2010
9:05 pm
Hawaii: “Elitist” And “Foreign” If Obama Goes There, Perfectly Acceptable Working Site When It’s The GOP
If Hawaii is a good enough venue for Rush Limbaugh’s latest heart attack (or indigestion, or sleep apnea, or whatever it was), darn it, it’s good enough to host a republicant hookers ‘n policy junket.
http://crooksandliars.com/nicole-belle/hawaii-elitist-and-foreign-if-obama-g
Midori
January 28th, 2010
9:06 pm
I guess there is just no pleasing some people.
I thought you whackjobs wanted the trial moved to another location?
Kamchak
January 28th, 2010
9:09 pm
Did someone mention “the ends justifies the means?”
WICHITA, Kan. — Scott Roeder, the man charged with murder in the shooting of George R. Tiller, one of the few doctors in the country to perform late-term abortions, took the witness stand in his own defense on Thursday, and said that, yes, he did it.
Yes, he bought a gun. Yes, he took target practice. Yes, he had learned about Dr. Tiller’s habits, his home address, his security precautions. And, yes, he shot Dr. Tiller last May 31 as Dr. Tiller stood inside his church.
Sounds like pre-meditation to me. Just sayin’.
Yosarian
January 28th, 2010
9:09 pm
Hillbilly;
I think that squirrel story got a little distorted over time.
During the winter, large villages brokeup into family groups to hunt on their clan’s territory. When they found bears in their hollow trees they would cut the tree down. Cutting a tree down for a squirrel seems to be a big investment of labor for a few thousand calories- unless your really hungry. In those old times, the female bear were the ones who used trees to den in, the male bears always had ground dens. Today, both sexes den on the ground…unless they find one of those huge ole trees. Scyamores especially were prone to being hollow homes for all kinds of critters. There used to be a famous Sycamore hollow tree in W.VA. that served as a home for three(3)settlers long ago. It died off in the 1820s but still sprouts from it’s roots & stump- to this day.
Jenifer
January 28th, 2010
9:10 pm
Hello Midori! How are you?
Jenifer
January 28th, 2010
9:12 pm
Kamchak,
Definite, pre-meditated, in cold blood, murder.
Midori
January 28th, 2010
9:13 pm
Hi, Jen
just another day in LA LA Land here, I see….
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
9:15 pm
yosarian, hillbilly
Another fascinating read is that of Betsy Love Allen and the case of Fisher v Allen which resulted in the first place in British common law society where women were granted the right to buy and sell under their own names separate of men, an incorporation of Chickasaw law into Mississippi’s 1839 Constitution. Betsy Love Allen was quite well off, records of her transactions listing properties which would be valued at over $50 million in today’s currency. Sounds liberal and progressive, right? Well, Fisher v Allen came up to begin with over a matter involving just who that slave belonged to…
getalife
January 28th, 2010
9:17 pm
The gop are on the side of the banks.
I don’t think they want power back with that move.
Jenifer
January 28th, 2010
9:18 pm
“I guess there is just no pleasing some people.
I thought you whackjobs wanted the trial moved to another location?”
Well, they did, but now they don’t. They just don’t know what they want. They’re all a a’flitter and a’flutter and wishy-washy and flip-flopping around.
Jenifer
January 28th, 2010
9:20 pm
“Hi, Jen
just another day in LA LA Land here, I see….”
Oh yes, the LA LA’s are really out and about tonight. I heard straitjackets have been ordered for them but haven’t arrived yet.
This old gal is tired and going to bed.
Goodnight all.
Midori
January 28th, 2010
9:21 pm
Jen,
they were for being hypocritical banshees before they were against it….
samuel
January 28th, 2010
9:23 pm
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown under each of the last 12 Presidents, starting with Franklin Roosevelt. The difference is, the incomes of poor and middle class people have risen faster during Democratic administrations than under Republican ones. And in this last decade, incomes fell, and the stock market lost value, for the first time since the 1920’s.
TaxPayer
January 28th, 2010
9:24 pm
Sounds like pre-meditation to me.
Actually it is pre-meditated self defense. He was summoned by the womb. A form of Psycho-Kinesis. Crazy, I know. But it is a notion that some find appealing.
Jenifer
January 28th, 2010
9:25 pm
“Jen,
they were for being hypocritical banshees before they were against it….”
You nailed it.
Kamchak
January 28th, 2010
9:26 pm
Jenifer
Kansas is the home of Westboro Baptist Church. Just sayin’.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm!
January 28th, 2010
9:27 pm
Wow, the perfect example of how childish liberals really are and why Bookman is a phony-
Among the many challenges our administration inherited was the slow but steady decline in support for our nuclear stockpile and infrastructure, and for our highly trained nuclear work force.-Hairplugs Biden, WSJ
Inherited, eh-
Defense-minded Democratic lawmakers in both chambers reacted cautiously to a new call from Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates for renewed support of the Reliable Replacement Warhead program, the Bush administration’s effort to replace the aging Cold War nuclear stockpile. Since assuming the majority in 2007, Democrats have consistently cut requested funding for the program and they remain skeptical about its wisdom as opposed to other initiatives to maintain existing nuclear stores.
Scuzzy, isn’t it?
Yosarian
January 28th, 2010
9:27 pm
Josef;
In regard to Indians owning (black)slaves, do you have a perspective on what kind of masters they were ? My inclination is to think that the treatment of a slave was as much a personal character issue for the Indian master,as it was for a white master. It seems kinda “woo-woo” to me,to think an Indian slave master might be more enlightened than his white counterpart.
samuel
January 28th, 2010
9:29 pm
For Republicans who blame Democrats for the current deficit and national debt: The President proposes and signs the budget. Congress can recommend changes to the budget, but if the President dosen’t like it, he can veto it. And remember that Ronald Reagan had a Republican majority in the Senate for the first 6 years of his presidency, just as George W. Bush had a Republican majority in both houses of Congress for the first 6 years of his presidency.
Scout
January 28th, 2010
9:29 pm
josef:
You are one of the few on here who really knows your history.
By the way, did you see my 8:30 post to your question?
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 28th, 2010
9:31 pm
Yosarian
You may be right on that. I’ve always found that stories get skewed over time but if you can find it, there is usually a grain of truth in there somewhere. I always figured it was a nest of squirrels or a larger animal.
Speaking of trees, at Cumberland Gap National Park a few years back, they had a cross section of a Hemlock tree that had been cut in the last couple of years. They had little flag pins on the rings denoting a time line. The tree dated to the 1820’s. And in my part of the world, the local name for a Hemlock is Spruce Pine. So far the disease that’s hitting them hasn’t quite got to me yet but I’m sure it’s just a matter of time.
itpdude
January 28th, 2010
9:31 pm
Ha ha ha, people say “but Reagan turned it around.”
Reagan had approval ratings in the 30’s by 1983. It was looking like he would not be re-elected. Things turned around in 1984, unemployment dropped to around 7% by the election, inflation got low, Reagan go re-elected. He was inaugurated in Jan of 1981. The turnaround was not apparent until 1984.
So, by that standard, all you Republicans need to give Obama more time.
And yeah, this situation was caused by the Bush Admin. You don’t start two wars without the tab coming due sooner or later. Remember what Ike said about these adventures. He called every expenditure to the war machine a theft from the people. And the Bush Admin was full of thieves.
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 28th, 2010
9:32 pm
Enter your comments here
Jenifer
January 28th, 2010
9:32 pm
“Jenifer
Kansas is the home of Westboro Baptist Church. Just sayin.’”
Oh, don’t get me started on that disgusting sicko wackjob bunch.
Goodnight all, again.
Yosarian
January 28th, 2010
9:35 pm
I love them Hemlocks, Hillbilly ! How will the hills ever be the same without them. I’ve heard the disease has been found in the Chattahoochee
National Forest – where I’am, in N.GA.
samuel
January 28th, 2010
9:36 pm
By next January, a Republican will have been in the White House for 20 of 30 years. Republicans will have been the majority in the Senate for 16 of 30 years, and the majority in the House for 12 of 30 years. During that time, the national debt has gone from 32.5% of GDP (Fiscal Year 1981, Jimmy Carter’s last budget) to 90.4% of GDP (FY 2009, George W. Bush’s last budget).
Curious Observer
January 28th, 2010
9:36 pm
There used to be a famous Sycamore hollow tree in W.VA. that served as a home for three(3)settlers long ago. It died off in the 1820s but still sprouts from it’s roots & stump- to this day.
I’ve heard of two settlers who lived in a hollow tree in Greenbrier County, but not three. It’s all documented by my old undergraduate history professor, Dr. Otis Rice, in his History of Greenbrier County.Their names were Rupert and Sewell. There’s a town along Rt. 60 named for Rupert, and Sewell’s legacy is Big and Little Sewell mountains, the site of some pretty vicious Civil War fighting because they were the major roadblocks to Union troops’ crossing into the area. Robert E. Lee had to come to the area to settle a terrible dispute between two former Virginia governors who were major generals, Wise and Floyd. He finally sent Wise back to Richmond and left Floyd in command. There’s an old house, now an historic landmark, that served as Lee’s headquarters and later a hospital for the Confederates. If you’re friendly with the owner, you can see signatures on the interior plaster walls of wounded troops who stayed there, along with notations of the battles in which they were wounded.
More information than you probably want, but I grew up less than a mile from there.
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
9:46 pm
scout–
was just about to respond…your 8:30 just came through on my screen. you answer my question quite well, and, as you would expect, I have a few points of disagreement! My bottom line (okay, okay, no pun intended) is that this should have beenh a non-issue from the get go. The fact that the matter was ever brought up speaks to a period of our social development mired in myth and prejudice and DADT was a half-a**ed measure that did more harm than good…you and I are from a generation still bound by social realities of past generations. When I talk to our boy, the career military one, he just laughs and says how foolish most of his peers of the younger generation think the whole issue is…but I will say this about you and your statement, I much prefer your straightforwardness over the two-stepping and closeted “homophobia” (I detest that word!) of those who’d claim to be my “friend.” I. E. Fierce Advocate and his crowd…
samuel
January 28th, 2010
9:46 pm
In the 20 year period from Fiscal Year 1961 (Dwight Eisenhower’s last budget) to FY 1981 (Jimmy Carter’s last budget) the national debt fell from 55.2% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to 32.5% of GDP, a 23% decrease. This happened despite the fact that massive new social spending programs were enacted and others were expanded. During those 20 years, Democrats held majorities in both houses of Congress the entire time, and held the White House for 12 of 20 years.
Yosarian
January 28th, 2010
9:50 pm
Curious Observer;
Not at all neighbor…enjoyed your info post.
Either, I exagerated on 3men, instead of 2men, or my memory was off…
but I think it’s more likely there was more than one big hollow Scycamore. I’ve heard the Sewell name…I’m wanting to think the name
Pringle seems famaliar to me in regards to the tree I spoke of. I think I can confirm who lived in the tree I referenced but it would take a while to confirm. I was born in Boone County W.Va
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 28th, 2010
9:54 pm
Yosarian
The Hemlocks will probably go the way of the Chestnuts. The disease is supposed to be into the Hemlocks just a few miles from here but we just have 3 or 4 and they are sort of isolated from any major stands, so hopefully they can be saved.
There are still a lot of Chestnuts in the mountains. The blight kills the tree but not the stump and roots, so they sprout back out. They’ll grow up 15 feet tall or so and then die. Chesnut makes pretty lumber, is soft and easy to work, and takes a very long time to rot. I can remember, when I was a boy, my Grandpa pointing out dead Chestnut trees that were still standing. He said they’d been dead 30-40 years.
According to things I’ve read and heard, when the settlers first came into the mountains about 90% of the trees were either Chestnut or Hemlock.
Curious Observer
For what it’s worth, I like to hear stories like that.
samuel
January 28th, 2010
10:00 pm
By the time of Ronald Reagan’s last budget (Fiscal Year 1989), the budget deficit had doubled (from $78 billion to $152 billion), the national debt had tripled (from $995 billion to $2.9 trillion) and the national debt as a % of GDP had grown by 21% (32.5% to 53.1%). By the time of George H.W. Bush’s last budget (FY 1993), the national debt had grown to $4.3 trillion, or 66.1% of GDP, a 13% increase. In 12 years of Reagan/Bush I, the national debt quadrupled, and as a % of GDP, went up by 34%.
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
10:03 pm
yosarian @ 8:27
There were distinctions between Indian slavery and European slavery (just as there were between slavery in the French and Spanish colonial systems and the British). The most significant was that the Indians did not view the matter so much in terms of race, having the insitution at the time of the arrival of the white and black. Early on the “black” Indians in the Southeast were slave owners as well and their properties included Indian as well as African slaves. Though there are records of their owning European slaves, there was never a class as such, discretion and pragmatism being the greater part of valor. It is of note that among the free people of color in the ante bellum South, a high percentage were of mixed Indian-black and Indian-black-white stock.
As manumission became increasingly more restrictive under American law following the Haitian revolt and the British emancipation of 1833, being a slave under Indian law offered more the opportunity for manumission and an equal status within the nation once manumitted.
Though records are sparse, in those that I have seen (the Vanns being a good example) at their worst, the Indians were similar to the whites in their treatment of slave properties,
Yosarian
January 28th, 2010
10:04 pm
Curious Observer;
My memory still works – what do ya know !
The Pringle Tree…could shelter 2-3 men from the elements.
On the bank of The Buckhannon River
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
10:07 pm
yosarian—
that should be @ 9:27…
Yosarian
January 28th, 2010
10:09 pm
Hillbilly;
I actually lived in a little cabin made of wormy Chestnut.
(bizarre story)
The wormy stuff- usually cut from old fallen timber- is hell to work with…You could have a really nice board blow up in your face when you hit a soft spot while sawing. Beautiful to behold when oiled though !
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
10:11 pm
Those interested in Indian things, slavery, the removals and what have you…check out the Priscilla Hollyhocks…I use it with my fourth graders…just google “Priscilla Hollyhocks…”
Yosarian
January 28th, 2010
10:12 pm
Thanks for responding Josef, I’ve been curious on that slave issue since Jay posted his story of Jacob.
Thanks for that link- I’ll check it out.
samuel
January 28th, 2010
10:12 pm
Bill Clinton’s last budget (Fiscal Year 2001) contained a $128 billion budget surplus and a $5.7 trillion national debt, which was 57.4% of GDP, a 9% decrease from George H.W. Bush’s last budget. The surpluses under Clinton were enabled in part by the pay-as-you-go (PAYGO) law passed by a Democratic majority in Congress in 1990. PAYGO was passed in response to the spiraling budget deficits and national debt that were run up by Reagan and Bush Sr. A Republican majority in Congress allowed PAYGO to expire in 2002.
RW-(the original)
January 28th, 2010
10:20 pm
Way off any semblance of topic, but I just happened to be watching Greta interview SarahCuda. The discussion turned to the Tebow ad and whether it was in bad taste to show it on a day when families were coming together to watch the Super Bowl.
Two points. Anybody that thinks there is no division of loyalties on Super Bowl Sunday is insane and nobody that was ever aborted is in attendance at one of these gatherings.
samuel
January 28th, 2010
10:21 pm
With my last several posts, I hope that I’ve shown that it’s the Democrats who have been more fiscally responsible, and who’ve managed the economy better, over the last 50 years. The economy has grown faster, income growth has been more evenly distributed, more jobs have been created (10.5 million jobs were created during Jimmy Carter’s Presidency) and the national debt as a % of Gross Domestic Product has fallen when Democrats are in charge. All of these facts are available on the website of the Office of Management and Budget, http://www.omb.gov.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
10:26 pm
josef nix
I’ve spent a few years in the classroom myself, you are on the front lines everyday – most people would be toast by noon. So, I congratulate you because good teaching is not only a science but an art.
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
10:28 pm
yosarian
That you should mention wormy chestnut and how beautiful it is oiled…one of the family heirlooms is a set of bedroom furniture made from it…my niece has it and when she tells admirers it’s made from worm wood, they look at her like she’s pulling their leg…
Jay’s story of Jacob intrigued me, too and I promise you that further communication on all this is coming St. Elsewhere. It is interesting what you uncover when digging in the family bone orchard. Among mine is a landmark case in the race-slave matter which carries the family name. An ancestor in colonial Virginia was trying to “reclaim” a property who claimed she was free because she was white. The courts ruled in her behalf and he was not compensated for his “loss.”
Gordon
January 28th, 2010
10:28 pm
Samuel,
Can you do the same study based on which party controlled congress? Do the R’s not get any credit for what happened during Clinton’s presidency? Can we also look at which party started the programs that are causing us to have major financial problems today (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid)? The unfunded liability on those 3 programs dwarfs the current debt, not to mention the dependency they have created.
Scout
January 28th, 2010
10:29 pm
I hear you. We’ll just have to wait and see what happens.
P.S. and now we are all “slaves” of the government ……………………
Kamchak
January 28th, 2010
10:33 pm
Anybody that thinks there is no division of loyalties on Super Bowl Sunday is insane…
Yes, I am vacillating between apathy and indifference.
RW-(the original)
January 28th, 2010
10:35 pm
Yes, I am vacillating between apathy and indifference.
When that’s the case you can change it instantly by wagering on one of the teams.
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
10:38 pm
Mick—
Thanks for the vote of confidence, but more than a science and an art, it’s a joy! I know it may sound trite to some, but there’s a great deal of wisdom to “and a child shall lead them…” I tell people that I learn a lot more from them than they’ll ever learn from me.
Kamchak
January 28th, 2010
10:39 pm
RW
The event that I am waiting for happens June 11 to July 11.
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
10:41 pm
Scout–
I’m not sure how much the “slaves” we are, but vassals without a doubt!
Yosarian
January 28th, 2010
10:42 pm
Josef;
WoW !
just when it gets really interesting….
the ole finger begins to fail me….
these political posts are so tiring….
Look forward to seeing around….
By & By
RW-(the original)
January 28th, 2010
10:44 pm
The event that I am waiting for happens June 11 to July 11.
My birthday? Thanks but no need to be cryptic, it’s June 30th.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
10:45 pm
it’s a joy!
Yes, absolutely! I taught for 25 years in both catholic and public school. The greatest side benefit is that you feel like you’ve captured eternal youth in a bottle…until you look in the mirror! Doesn’t matter you are what you feel.
Hillbilly Deluxe
January 28th, 2010
10:45 pm
Yosarian
I was speaking of sound Chestnut. I’ve not worked with it much because it’s so hard to find and I have had red oak blow up on me like you’re talking about. Not a pleasant experience.
Enjoyed the discussion. Nite all.
Scout
January 28th, 2010
10:48 pm
josef:
serfs …………. serving Lord Obama of Babylon. ……… and cancel Christmas !
Dr. R
January 28th, 2010
10:48 pm
Both inherited a mess, true. Reagan fixed his within a few years. We’ll see if Obama can do the same. But at some point, he has to turn loose of what was left for him and take ownership of it.
Scout
January 28th, 2010
10:49 pm
P.S.
But alas ……… I know the last chapter ………..
)
Scout
January 28th, 2010
10:50 pm
Dr. R.:
Good point but don’t forget the “mindset” of community organizers. You always have to blame someone else.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
10:51 pm
Question.
Does anyone know what kind of damage is done to a house when the copper is stolen out of it? Is there varying degrees of damage or do they just rip out all the wiring and copper tubing?
I have an opportunity to buy a house that has been hit. The price is incredible, but if it cost 50,000 to put the copper back in it, it’s not worth much.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
10:51 pm
NIF
My dad was a plumber – how many bathrooms are we talking about? Total square feet of living area?
Yellow Fellow
January 28th, 2010
10:52 pm
Me thinks that Reagan’s party did not control both houses of Congress with substantial majorities…..kind of hard to figure out how Republicans are obstructing the Democrats agenda. It appears Democrats do not want to go along with the suicide ride that BO wants to take the country on.
josef nix
January 28th, 2010
10:54 pm
Mick–
I tell people that if I don’t come home covered in snot from the waist down, it wasn’t a good day! And you are so right about youth in a bottle and looking in the mirror…
However, y’all, age takes its toll, and tomorrow is time and a half payback for the comp time today, so I have to go rest…tomorrow is the Treaty of Versailles and the 14 Points…have to decide whether or not to bring religion into the classroom and tell them what Clemenceau said to Lloyd George about Wilson’s 14 Points, “G-d H-mself had only ten.”
G’night and thanks for a rewarding evening….
RW-(the original)
January 28th, 2010
10:55 pm
DTS (NIF)
Replacing the copper isn’t your worst nightmare and might even be reasonably cheap. Your problem comes in with what the building codes make you do.
Scout
January 28th, 2010
10:57 pm
Drain The Swamp (NIF):
I don’t know but if you plan to live in it be sure to get bars for the windows and a Remington model 870 pump 12 guage shotgun (I recommend #8 buckshot for maximum effect).
Mick
January 28th, 2010
10:58 pm
There will be some lucky students learning tomorrow..enjoy.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
10:59 pm
Mick
2.5 baths, 1600 sq feet. Two stories with an attic and a basement.
RW
That’s good news. It’s Dekalb county but the neighborhood is very nice except this particular street. There are three collapsed houses on the street so they really just need to be pushed over.
I was wondering about the codes.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
11:00 pm
**Your problem comes in with what the building codes make you do.**
Yes, thats when its time to find a moonlighter, if they even exist anymore.
Kamchak
January 28th, 2010
11:01 pm
Does anyone know what kind of damage is done to a house when the copper is stolen out of it?
At the very least the house will have to be re-wired and re-plumbed. Was it dry-walled before the theft? If so, much of the remaining dry-wall (assuming it was ripped out to gain access to the copper) will need to be replaced in order to re-wire and re-plumb. The new wiring and plumbing will also need to be re-inspected as well.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
11:01 pm
NIF
Is the water heater in the basement?
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
11:04 pm
Mick
I don’t know. I’ve only seen the pictures, but I would bet that it is.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
11:04 pm
Kamchak is correct, if the drywall is ripped up could be a major project. The plumbing itself should not be anywhere near 50k.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
11:09 pm
Kamchak
I’ve only seen pictures of the interior and the drywall is intact. Strangely enough, the carpet pad is in but no carpet. It looks like it was practically skinned.
Scout
A friend might live there and work on it for rent. We have done this before, but never with this much to do. He was an instructor at the School for the America’s at Fort Benning but retired in 98. I’m pretty sure that a 12 guage would be just a small part of what he keeps. I KNOW he carries a 45 auto.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
11:10 pm
Would this property be for rental purposes?
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
11:12 pm
Mick
Only while it’s being repaired. Then I’ll sell it and work it out with the guy that will live there and fix it all. This will be our third house, but this one is going to be a challenge. He will need to live like Daniel Boone until he can get at least part of the house wired.
Scout
January 28th, 2010
11:12 pm
Drain The Swamp (NIF):
.45 caliber ! Now you’re talking. Developed specifically for the U.S. Army in 1911 to fight the Muslim terrorist Moro’s in the Philippines !
Ooo Rah !
Kamchak
January 28th, 2010
11:18 pm
NIF
The more the house is finished the more difficult it will be to re-wire and re-plumb. I was a finish carpenter for 25 years before the housing crash so much of what I know about plumbing and electrical work is about how they do the job before the dry-wall goes up. I don’t know if they can access the outlets and plumbing fixtures without tearing out the walls.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
11:19 pm
**’ve only seen pictures of the interior and the drywall is intact. Strangely enough, the carpet pad is in but no carpet. It looks like it was practically skinned.**
If there were animals in the house the padding will be no good. If you are going to keep as a rental I’ve learned to either tile it or put in wood flooring. Renters absolutely destroy carpeting unless you get very lucky. As far as the plumbing from what you’ve described, you could probably get it done for as low as 5k to a high of 10k depending on the fixtures you choose. A way to beat the code is to pull the permit as owner builder then you can sub out rather than hire a contractor. Hope that helps.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
11:20 pm
Scout
This guy will walk into the front door just once and every kid in the neighborhood will know that this is not the guy to steal from. Big guy. Buzz cut, always wears boots and camo. And he’s always smiling, sort of like he just enjoyed breaking somebody in half.
Scout
January 28th, 2010
11:25 pm
Drain The Swamp (NIF):
Let’s hope so ………. but some dudes just have to learn the hard way ……………..
Taps everyone …………….
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
11:29 pm
Kamchak
So that’s what they do? The rip out all the wire by cutting and just pull back through the holes?
Wow. That would suck to repair.
I’m going over there tomorrow. I’m not even sure the copper was ripped out but there is no wire going to the power pole. It’s a brand new house, and at this price, there’s something major wrong with it. They just spent a fortune building a big fence around it, so it should be repairable, or the current owner is an idiot.
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
11:30 pm
Mick
It’s a brand new house, and I’ll fix it and flip it.
Kamchak
January 28th, 2010
11:35 pm
So that’s what they do? The rip out all the wire by cutting and just pull back through the holes?
Yep, pretty much. Although I am surprised because the last recession when this happened, most scrap metal companies would buy only under certain conditions.
Mick
January 28th, 2010
11:35 pm
In that case look for a good home inspector, for a $100 or so you can get a professional opinion and decide whether it will be worth your time and money. Good luck..time to hit the hay….
Drain The Swamp (NIF)
January 28th, 2010
11:42 pm
Kamchak
There’s always somebody to by hot stuff. The house has been setting there since 2005. Like I said, I won’t know what is really wrong until I walk through.
I appreciate the advice.
Kamchak
January 28th, 2010
11:44 pm
NIF
Good luck.
Blame Game
January 29th, 2010
12:21 am
Obama’s a total failure, but his camp can keep blaming bush for everything for years!!! The voters will never know the difference. Remember, when you have hope and change, then yes you can!
SwamiDave
January 29th, 2010
12:25 am
Let’s see:
* abuse of power auto industry takeover, investors left with nothing, unions given ownership
* anti- (issue): flag, family, child, jobs gay marriage….abortion…..cap-n-trade
* betray KSM & terrorists giving rights of U.S. citizens
* bizarre Gay Pride Parades
* bosses more Czars than pre-Stalin Russia
* bureaucracy more government – more government spending – more government control – more government in the way of the very people who could fix many of our problems
* cheat TurboTax Tim anyone???
* coercion Banks forced to take TARP money that they didn’t want
* “compassion” is not enough Hope never changed anything; Action does!
* collapse(ing) Over-Regulation….Over-Taxation…..
* consequences Like tax credits for “hiring” that causes companies to delay hiring until they can get the tax cuts….maybe the Unemployed can just wait for Big Government Bureaucracy to catch up
* corrupt Landreiu…..Nelson…..
* corruption Dodd….
* criminal rights Miranda for JihadBob Underpants
* crisis as in Rahm’s “Never let a good one go to waste…..”
* cynicism …as in recycling tired campaign promises that you’ve already broken number of times as if the American people haven’t been watching
* decay a direct result of Collectivist philosophies
* deeper as in Unemployment getting worse after billions wasted on Stima-Spendul-ous
* destroy …of incentive and motivation which is a direct result of Liberal policies
* destructive ….to culture and society
* devour earnings and wealth through confiscatory taxation
* disgrace I thought Bill Clinton was in Haiti
* endanger …freedom when Liberals attempt legislation that forces Americans to do what Liberals know best they should
* excuses Oh yeah, it’s still Bush’s fault!
* failure (fail) Something Liberals do but never get held accountable for by their willing accomplices in the collectivist media
* greed Franklin Raines did give back HIS bonuses that he made under Barney Frank & Chris Dodd’s political cover didnt he?
* hypocrisy …like “Congress should limit the influence of Lobbyists even though my administration is full of them!
* ideological Usually holding to political philosophies that are historical failures, but sound good and are effective at garnering power by using confiscated earnings to deliver unearned benefits
* impose Yeah, like we’re going to pass healthcare reform even if you don’t want it!
* incompetent insert picture of PrezBO here!
well that was fun, but I’m tired. In the end, it sounds as if Newt’s list is just as appropriate today as it was then!
-SD
Truth, History, and Common Sense Refute Liberalism
Chuckie D
January 29th, 2010
12:27 am
Hey Jay-Jay:
Please remember that under Reagan the tax rate decreased from 78% to 28% or so??? Lower taxes=more money in your pockets=more money to be spent.
PBO is out of phase by 180 degrees: The “ONE” wants to increase taxes and somehow equates “SPENDING YOUR WAY OUT OF DEBT”.
Jay-Jay, let’s see you try doing that on a personal note. I’m sure the major credit card companies will go along with that plan—why don’t you try that approach and let us know. Of course, there won’t be many that know about it for the circulation of the AJC continues to decrease. Could there be a direct correlation with the political slant presented by the AJC?
ODD OWL
January 29th, 2010
1:11 am
When President Carter took office in 1977, The unemployment rate was 12% and interest rates was 13%. Nixon’s watergate problems, wage and price controls and Ford’s incompentence screwed up the economy. President Carter’s economic policies was just beginning to show positive results by the end of his term, But in 1980 the naive, gullible little big house middle classers listened to the Reagan lies about a 28 % federal income tax rate for everyone. That alzheimer afflicted braindead Reagan neglected to tell working class and middle class workers that their federal income tax rates at the time were between 18% and 22%. So the working class and middle class workers were hit with a massive tax increase, while the richest 20% of the population had their taxes reduced from a high of 71%, down to 28%. Reagan and Bush-1’s supply side, trickle down, voodoo economic produced a massive transfer of wealth from the pockets of the working class and middle class workers into the pockets of the rich and elite. These stupid little big house middle class Repuklicans haven’t figured these facts out yet. Lack of education produces insidious ignorance.
Mark
January 29th, 2010
1:44 am
Jay: you really put a lot of thought into this column didn’t you? 90% of it was quotes from other people. Way to go Jay. Really original. Oh, and one more thing. Reagan actually got us out of the mess your hero Jimmy Carter got us into. President Obama? Not so much…
Bill Mason
January 29th, 2010
2:42 am
The difference is that Reagan was talking about a variety of previous administrations. Obama went out of his way to pin all the problems on George Bush Jr. Barrack Obama goes on and on about his inherited problems and how they have forced his hand and created unprecedented debt. He seems to over look that Bush faced 9/11 and Al Qaeda (the problem that Clinton didn’t deal with), the dot.com meltdown and Katrina. Obama’s unwillingness to accept or his obsession with pathological deflection are unique among Presidents. He is a disgrace.