GOP threatens to do real damage to country

Mr. President,
Please, please, PULEEZE call their bluff. They WILL fold…guaranteed.

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“stick a loaded pistol to its temple and threaten to pull the trigger”

After what happened in Arizona, this is what you got to say, Jay? You’re sick. If I say anything else, my post will be in moderation. That’s all I’m saying on this blog.

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jay, let me fix that headline for you. oblowhard is doing real damage to this country. There you go, no thanks required, I just assumed you hadn’t had your coffee yet this fine a.m.

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Jay

My appologies on yesterday….

I guess this is another cog in the wheel of the GOP’s plan to make Obama a one-term president. After all, he can’t serve another term if the country collapses in to a pile of rubble. If they want to crash the world economy just to remain ideologically pure, we have a real problem on our hands that spending cuts will not cure.

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Threats are necessary because liberals don’t understand anything less. Compromise with a liberal means doing it his way.

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GEEZ!!!

Great. Take the national economy hostage, stick a loaded pistol to its temple and threaten to pull the trigger unless you get your way. This is what we’ve come to. This is “leadership” and “statesmanship” in the modern American era. Cantor and his colleagues are trying to convince us that they really are childish, stupid and destructive enough to bring the country down to its knees if their demands aren’t fully satisfied.

Getting up on the left (wrong) side of the bed’ll do it to ‘ya every time, jay. Getting up on the right side will right what’s wrong.

“I remember when the candle shop burned down. Everyone stood around singing ‘Happy Birthday.”–Steven Wright

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“Great. Take the national economy hostage, stick a loaded pistol to its temple and threaten to pull the trigger unless you get your way.”

These progressives sure are a violent bunch when they’re wanting their tax increases.
I shudder to think what Jay would do if given a sniper rifle.

This rhetoric is too inflameble. Like PeaDawg, I’m out to Lew Rockwell or someplace more tame.

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Just curious Jay, what in the world do you call what the Democrats have done to this country?

“as I’ve written countless times here, we need a combination of long-term spending cuts and long-term tax increases across the board to resolve this problem,”

You’ve also said you would be happy to pay “a few thousand more” of your own money to fix the problem, but when you had the opportunity to do so on your 2010 tax returns, you welched, Jay. Just admit you really only mean you want them to tax other people.

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Of course, they would not be talking this way if the President hadn’t caved in to their demands the last two times. I hope this time the President will show some backbone and stand up to the POG.

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Jay- we need a combination of long-term spending cuts

So you agree with Rep. Cantor on this one. The proposed Republican cuts have been laughably small but yet the Demwits were all crying about them. Maybe they need a “loaded pistol to the temple” for their dumb a$$es to wake up and start taking the deficit/budget seriously.

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poison pen

April 21st, 2011
7:59 am

Poison,
I agree with Jay, we have to raise taxes and yes, we have to control spending, but we need not start with medicare and Social Security. Start with Defense, then the Business subsidies on down. Social Subsidies will be last. When the Republicans start talking about that, then we will make real progress, until then…it’s just noise from the Corporate Lovers.

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You are right, Don’t Tread. I am tired of seeing my tax money spent on stupid stuff — like wars we should not be involved in. And, btw, discontinuing a tax break that should not have been given is not the same as raising taxes.

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Many of the right would not mind raising taxes and contributing more if they were sure that the money would be spent on something other than another liberal program to help the “less fortunate”. We’ve been paying the “less fortunate’s” bills for way too long now. Congress could not manage a lemonade stand and the American taxpayer knows it.

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Jay – please, this is wearing a lot of us down here. What is the FACTUAL number of the debt when clinton left office? What is the FACTUAL number when W. bush left office? Has obama really done as much damage as some would like to believe or has he been tagged with a lot of the previous presidents debt? I’d like to get the straight truth if possible…

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To: President Obama and all 535 voting members of the Legislature

The verdict is in…

Every one of you have ALL been proven to be completely corrupt and total failures!

1. The U.S. Post Service was established in 1775. You have had 234 years to get it right and it is becoming more unsustainable by the day.

2. Social Security was established in 1935. You have had 74 years to get it right and it is bankrupt.

3. Fannie Mae was established in 1938. You have had 71 years to get it right. It is bankrupt and now has an unlimited line of credit from the Fed.

4. The War on Poverty started in 1964. You have had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to “the poor” and they only want more.

5. Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. You have had 44 years to get it right and they are bankrupt.

6. Freddie Mac was established in 1970. You have had 39 years to get it right. It is bankrupt and now has an unlimited credit line from the Fed.

7. The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. You had 32 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.

8. You rile on about corporate corruption; you demonize our free market system and the businesses who hand us our pay checks; you take that which is not yours and pour in into socialist trash heaps and disgusting delusion. It is YOU who ARE the epitome of corruption and abysmal FAILURE!

You have FAILED in every Socialist “government service” you have shoved down our throats while stealing our tax dollars.

AND YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED WITH A GOVERNMENT-RUN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM??

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Yes we pay less in income taxes than we have as a whole but some groups have faired better than others in the tax breaks. The left screams about the top earners and the right screams about the bottom 50%. Truth is the top 1% and the bottom 50% have had significant breaks from the share they paid in 1986 after the last major tax reform. The group that has not benefited has been the earners from 1% to 5% of top income. They are the only subset in the general IRS data breakdown that pays more today. Ironically, that is the very group the left seems to be targetting as is clearly includes the earners over $250,000. I’ll gladly pay more if it is going to help the long term financial position of our country but all of this partisan rantings do nothing to help the situation. I blame the far right and far left and as usual those of us left in the middle will be the ones that ultimately pick up the tab for both groups.

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Since when has it been a “Democratic” request to raise the debt limit?

If the Republicans do not want to raise the debt limit, then vote not to do it and quit talking about. Have a vote tomorrow and let the House vote no.

The reason they talk about it instead of actually doing it is because they know that in the end they will vote to raise the debt limit. So they talk, and a lot of their base is fooled into believing something is being done.

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OOOOOOOH. Demanding spending cuts to stop the red ink bloodbath is a danger to the repubublic? Nonsense!

It seems that every dollar of federal spending is going to have to be pried out of the democrats hands with a crowbar. If you wnat to raise the debt limit, prove you are serious about spending.

The damage to the republic is coming from the left who has jacked our deficits to eleven percent of GDP and whose lack of control is once again threatening the fiscal health of the country.

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Good Morning Gale, How are you?

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mottlicher,

Great post. Are you listening, Bookman?

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Do you think there will be “real damage” if we don’t get serious about deficit reduction? Clearly Obama isn’t serious – 2 months ago he wasn’t mentioning entitlement reform in his budget proposals and only is now in response to Ryan’s plan for political reasons. At what point do we actually get down to doing what needs to be done, Jay?

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Normal; this is not a game of chicken that is being played – it’s about saving our great Nation from bankruptcy. Try to think about bigger issues than petty politics and, please, stop drinking the Cool-Aid!

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Hopefully these voters for the Republicans elected to congress see what they are all about. The last decade in congress cause all these problems with the debt and deficit

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The democrats do nothing but pander to unions and the entitlement crowd

The republicans do nothing but pander to the Kochs and the corporate overloads

Fixed that for you. But honestly, does either statement really reflect the complete truth or move the discussion forward.
_______________________________

Many of the right would not mind raising taxes and contributing more if they were sure that the money would be spent on something other than another liberal program to help the “less fortunate”

And many on the left would not mind cutting spending from the right places if the savings were not being passed along as tax credits to benefit those who need it least. Seems we ought to be negotiating and not giving ultimatums

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G’morning, Normal. I’m enjoying a few minutes reading the usual back and forth here while awaiting the day’s flood of “urgent” matters. It appears the sane folks are still sane and the either side extremes are still extreme in their opinions.

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Cantor and his colleagues are trying to convince us that they really are childish, stupid and destructive enough to bring the country down to its knees if their demands aren’t fully satisfied.

Hey, I’m convinced. If that’s the path that the GOP chooses to take then let’s do it. Let’s give the GOP the credit it will rightfully deserve for sending us into the 2nd Great Depression. By the way, what happened to the GOP after that little fiasco. Go for it.

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The republicans are doing what needs to be done. (Note: They share a large part of the blame, since under Bush/Cheney the created a huge part of the problem. But being partly responsible for the problem does not mean they shouldn’t do the right thing to fix the problem).

The federal government has very, very few responsibilities. Its turned into a fat, bloated tick on the country. It can safely but cut by well over half (Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid should all be eliminated totally over a period of time. All of those programs solve an issue that belongs to American Society, not American Government).

Both parties are losers, in this case though, the Republicans are doing what is a (minor) step in the right direction.

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The “tax increase” that everyone is whining we can’t afford would be on those who make $20,833 A MONTH! I’ll bet a month’s pay there are darned few on this blog that curry that kind of coin. I bet in my town in South GA, there aren’t even 820 that would make up 2% of our population that make that much. Call their bluff Mr. President!

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Gale,

I hear you. Let one “Normal” person say wecome to the mad house, to you.

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It is absolutely laughable you are calling out the Repubs as having no “leadership” or “statesmanship” when we have the horrific mistake of a President in office. The Dems had their chance and blew it. Mr. Obama is a fantastic candidate, but a horrid “leader” and a pathetic “statesman”. He actually makes the Repubs look good.

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Obama’s lack of understanding basic economic principles, among other things, threatens to do real damage to the country:
Example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WpSDBu35K-8

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Now here’s something I can get behind:

“The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.”
Barack Obama-2006

So which obama is right? hmmmm. And again, no “racial resentment” was involved in the typing of this comment.

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What a crock this is Bookman! Dems are spending our way into oblivion and you the little liberal sicifant want to blame the Republicans. I will say one thing, you are a proud member of the band that keeps playing on the Titanic as it sinks. Keep playing Bookman, keep playing!

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The Dems had their chance and blew it.

how, pray tell, would you have turned the ship of state around and magically turned the job hemorrhage from -500,000+ to above 200,000 a month, and somehow closed the budget deficit in the process?

I’m all ears.

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“One day after being named to a presidential task force to negotiate deficit reduction, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor

Or as I like to call him, Mr. Weasel Man.

Now…….on to read the rest.

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Bookman:

The US economy is facing enormous long term pressures and is heading for a cliff. Those are the facts. Medicare, Medicared, and Social Security cannot continue as they currently are. Even the most liberal Democrats will privately admit that.

Throwing out useless statements like “We are going to cut hundreds of billions in waste from these programs” is complete crap. Every president says that and they know is crap. If we could cut all of this waste, we would already be doing it.

The Democrats are putting everyone in this country as huge financial risks by not getting serious about how big a problem the US debt is becoming. The Dems don’t want to screw up there Afrian-American, union, Jewish, Gay, young, naive college vote, so instead they will continue to bash Repbulicans.

Not only is Obama and the Democrats not doing anything to help the long term debt, they are actually making it much worse.

For all of the Bush haters, Obama’s spending make’s Bush look down right stingy. Give him 8 years, Obama’s debt will more than double Bush’s.

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Thanks Jay, the link did not work but I do recall you going over this. There seems to be a lot of misinformation causing a ball of confusion..

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Nice one sided view of the situation…………as I see it, doing nothing, as S&P also seems to see it, is no different than the other extreme………both lead to the same outcome……….

But side choosers have a hard time seeing the reality some times……………

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“as a means of winning a political argument”

its an economic argument, not a political one.

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Yaaawwwnn……Nothing to see here. Could someone please wake me up when there is actually something new going on? It’s like a friggin broken record around here lately. Both parties suck, their sheep followers will continue to bleet their praises while trying up with more creative nicknames to insult their leaders.

And by the way, if you use the term Obumbles, Obozo, Boner, Con or Libtard, you really do sound like an idiot. But keep it up little sheepy, your masters need your unwavering support.

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Also, the debate has been running that corporate creditworthiness is better than the US government’s. Which might mean, in the event of default, while it would be difficult, corporate America might survive relatively unscathed since they’ve paid down their debt loads so much and have so many cash reserves.

Might be a lesson for DC, though they’ll never get it.

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The Republicans and Tea-Baggers weren’t elected to work together for the common good. They were elected to confront, delay and destroy. Where were you in the last election? Of course they will drive america off a cliff for their narrow ideology! That’s what they were elected to do!

When you make simplistic answers to complex problems, you have gridlock and foolishness. Are the Republicans beeing foolish and unreasonable? Yes, they are. That;’s what they were elected to do. They are doing a good job.

No taxes for the rich! Let the markets regulate themselves! Get rid of government entirely, except for the police and jail system! Get rid of all minority positions, and make this country the wonderful palce it was back in the days when rich white people ran it!

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“Where were you deficit hawks the past decade? Why now? That is the hypocrisy of your daily rants…”

And there goes the curve ball……………doesn’t much matter where the problem came from (both sides if one is honest), the problem is here…..now…..and needs to be fixed…….and it will take ALL the misfits to get it done.

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“would be spent on something other than another liberal program to help the “less fortunate”. We’ve been paying the “less fortunate’s” bills for way too long now”

No matter how many times you point out that is utter bs, they still can’t refrain from writing it. It’s like they are programmed or something.

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A little discussion of debt limit politics:

“In the past, the politics on a debt-limit vote have been relatively straightforward. The party in power talks about the need to ensure the continued soundness of the country’s credit and votes for an increase; the party out of power inveighs against irresponsible fiscal policies and votes against.

Obama, who is now pushing to raise the debt ceiling, voted against an increase as a member of the Senate in 2006, when George W. Bush was in the White House.

Nearly every single Republican in the Senate voted for a debt-ceiling increase that year. Three years later, when Democrats held power, every Senate Republican but one voted against an increase. Democrats have followed the same pattern.

This year, the politics are more complicated, as House Republicans have to find common ground with the Democrats who control the Senate.”

Bottom line is that horrible “C” word – Compromise.

Both Cantor and Reid know a compromise will be worked out. Both a just looking for a little extra butter on their slice of bread.

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jay 8:48 link works. aside from pop up ad

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md,

“the problem is here…..now…..and needs to be fixed…….and it will take ALL the misfits to get it done.”

While I agree with that, it does irritate here on the blog for them to be so freaking hypocritical and history challenged. And apparently all a-faint this a.m.

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anybody else tried it?

She runs, how you say, like the top.

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Take out Cantor and insert President Obama and you may have a great article Jay.

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I guess Mr. Cantor did not hear all the booing Mr. Ryan recieved in his town hall meetings the last few nights.

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ty webb- America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better

I have to give obama some credit. He was right with that one (of course he didn’t realize he was talking about himself, but it’s hard to tell with all his third person references to himself.)

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“Solution is let the libs pay more in taxes to show if their ideology works”

Saxby Chambliss is a lib? Who knew?

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This issue isn’t just the impact of a failure to increase the debt ceiling. It’s the new Republican Party’s idea of negotiating.

This new party reminds me of the United Auto Workers of the last century. “Listen GM, we want this and this and this and if we don’t get what we want, we shut the factories down.”

This is how to foster an atmosphere of cooperation and compromise? I’d sure hate to see their idea of an ultimatum.

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Note to the fainting couch crew:

You are welcome to contribute over at conservative AJC columnist Kyle Wingfield’s joint, whose latest post has been up for 14 hours and has drawn a total of 31 comments… 2 of them mine.

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Bosch

I should have known better than to even get involved in that. Somebody has to be the grown-up.

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and I could also get behind this:

“It is ironic that Republicans’ first major action after an election in which they touted their strong sense of morality will be one of immense immorality.

“Republicans’ irresponsible policies have left them no choice but to raise the limit on the amount of debt America can incur. But there is a choice in how it is raised.

“Congress must tie raising the debt limit to a realistic, workable plan to put America back on a path to fiscal security. A first step would be to implement the tried and true ‘pay-as-you-go’ policies, which reined in debt in the 1990s and produced the record budget surpluses President Bush inherited from his Democratic predecessor.

“If Republicans do not put in place these responsible policies, they will immorally saddle our children with trillions of dollars of debt that will hinder their ability to invest in their own security and success.”
Steny Hoyer(libs can google him to find out who he is)-2004

Jay,
Is it your contention that by voting against this “immorality”, the republicans will do “damage” to the country. Classic “catch 22″, huh? Oh, and no “racial resentment” was involved in the typing of this comment.

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Buck@gon….AMEN….

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SoCo, adults also have to stand up and say this is wrong.

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Where did Obama’s Stimulus money go?
787 BILLION…Poof!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2MjQ17kDng

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One day after being named to a presidential task force to negotiate deficit reduction, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor fired off a stark warning to Democrats

It’s obvious he wasn’t chosen for his negotiating skills.
I think he should do the honorable thing….threaten to blow himself up.

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dawg…recovery.gov. You can get your answers. Next.

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It’s funny how as soon as taxes come up we hear from the “poor people don’t pay no taxes” choir. Don’t you know the rich love the poor and care nothing for the middle classes. They love the poor because they take the heat off of them. They love gov’t programs that support the poor (i.e…food stamps, medical vouchers, housing vouchers) why; because every tax dollar spent on them is a dollar in the pocket of the rich farmers, the doctors and the pharmaceuticals, and landlords and land owners. They love the way the people in the middle blame them for all the ills in society while they rob pension funds with fraudulent deals and lobby and lawyer their way to tax free lifestyles then take jobs overseas. A poor man can snatch a pocket book with $20.00 in it and the middle class screams off with his head but a rich man can own a bank too big to fail or and sell homes to people they know can’t afford it and he’s given practically a free pass. You never hear rich people dogging the poor (unless they are a politician), the rich know where their bread and butter come from. Go on hating the poor, they’re an easy target and it doesn’t take much thought to be mad at them. Being mad at the rich is a lot of hard work and too much thinking is involved and most of you don’t appear to have the time. “The rich get rich and the poor (and middle) get poorer, in the mean time, in between time, let’s just have fun.”

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Solution is let the libs pay more in taxes to show if their ideology works. If it does, then the rest of us can join in.

Before that happened, liberals would quickly become conservatives.

Obama keeps talking about “threading the needle of a crisis”. HECK! Just close the freakin’ eye (loopholes, tax credits, some subsidies). Everybody makes it on their own for awhile.

It’ll be good for what ails us.

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buck@gon

“. If he would be appalled by anything first, it would be the unabated liberal push for bigger government and the lack of leadership of Republicans to fight it sufficiently”

If history were to repeat itself, Pres Reagan would give fine speeches stating exactly that, then in two term he’d take our $14 trillion accumulated debt and run it up to $42 trillion.

And his followers would smile fondly at the tv and say “ain’t he the greatest?”

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“Solution is let the libs pay more in taxes to show if their ideology works. If it does, then the rest of us can join in.”

My guess…one would see a sharp increase in the number of independents……………

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unreal. some people on here are actually wanting to pay more in taxes? looks like the government already has you right where they want you people. “yes, my congressman. please, take even more of my money…” to be simply wasted away on some pork pet project. here’s a solution…stop the wasteful spending and my taxes won’t have to go up. why do i have to suffer for the poor decisions of others? i don’t spend more than i make…it’s a pretty simple concept, but b/c politicians can’t grasp that basic rule of economics, my standard of living goes down? wtf????

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Jay, you’ve gone totally in the tank for your Idiot Messiah. I guess the closer we get to election time, the more Obozo-cheerleading we can expect.

Shall we just keep on with business as usual? That’s what Obozo proposed in his 2012 budget.

Show us the spending cuts, Obozo. Show us what the government is going to “sacrifice”. Then we can talk about what Americans who work for a living are going to sacrifice.

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“I cannot imagine leaders of any other era, of any party or ideology, threatening to do severe long-term damage to the country….”

At first I thought you were talking about the national debt (while under Democrat Congressional control) rising from $8 trillion when Pelosi took the Speaker’s office to more than $14 trillion when she left.

It’s akin to a patient with gangrene. Do you amputate part of his foot to save his life or do you castigate the doctors wanting to do so because “how cruel you must be to cut off a man’s foot–why, he needs that foot to get around and to be able to perform his job responsibilities.”

Democrats want to let the patient die.

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USMC Dawg

“Where did Obama’s Stimulus money go?
787 BILLION…Poof!”

You mean the $275 billion of that in tax cuts he gave to middle class families were rescinded?!!?

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The GOP needs to bring back Cantor when he’s old enough to shave.

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josh

“unreal. some people on here are actually wanting to pay more in taxes? ”

Chances are, the people whining about paying more taxes aren’t paying any taxes. They want everybody else to pay taxes, People who get to blog all day, every day are setting at home, collecting some sort of checks.

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Kayaker71,
be sure to eat some Appalachicola oysters for me while you’re down there…mmmmmmmm, nectar of the gods.

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Ann Coulter with a keen observation.

Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin perfectly illustrates the mentality of the average liberal. Discussing a proposal to raise the retirement age of Social Security before there’s no money left, Durbin said on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” that for people like him, who work at a desk, it’s no big deal. But for “folks involved in physical and manual labor, another year or two becomes problematic.”

Just to be clear, I’m all for raising the retirement age of Social Security.

And what profession did Sen. Durbin choose to illustrate the idea of backbreaking work? A construction worker? A woman working in a chicken processing plant? A commercial fisherman?

No. He cited postal employees. “It’s tough,” he said, “to say, just stick around and deliver mail for another couple years.”

Backbreaking work? Postal workers? Mine can’t even find it within him/herself to close the mailbox. Must be a strain on their back.

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As always the duplicitous fail to acknolwedge their complicity in the current situation… Ya’ll had as much to do with what’s broken as anything, but all you do is whine about bein “taxed to death” (when rates and tax loads are as light as they’ve ever been in modern times) and scream about social policies (like abstinence only? or just policies that the “other” guys champion)… For 8 years you gave an empty headed, AWOL, draft dodger a blank check and open permission to conduct war and out CIA operatives, now all of our problems are the fault of “one of those people”…

There’s plenty of “conservatives” on welfare, unemployment, and workman’s comp, what say ye about those parasites, not just the parasites with darker skin?

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When and how do we pay for Afghanistan, Iraq, Medicare Part D and Bush era cuts?
When that question is answered, then we have an opportunity to lower the debt limit and bring some fiscal sanity to the world economy.

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if you want to pay more in taxes then go right ahead. cut the government a check for twice what you owe. it’s patriotic!

i don’t have a problem with paying my taxes. i do have a problem with years and years of wasteful spending of my tax dollars and then having the government come into my pocket for even more.

take their credit card away!

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You GOP supporters need to know this….you are following the lead of a few misguided, radical leaders who are turning your party into a bunch of anti science, anti environment, anti government and self righteous puritans.
Anyone who hopes the GOP will not raise the debt ceiling is exposing themselves as the fools they most certainly are. No further test are needed.
Fortunately, the Independent voters are seeing your extreme political views. The GOP had 6 years under Bush and…blew it. A new GOP majority in Wi and….blew it. Michigan, New Jersey and now you have a “Tea Party” majority in the House and what are they planning…to bankrupt America.
Now that takes ALOT of stupidity. The GOP will not get another chance to lead again for decades.
As Forest Gump would say “stupid is as stupid does”.

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jm

“Republicans don’t want to raise the debt limit, Dems do. So in return for the Dems getting what they want (higher ceiling), they have to agree to some budget trigger measures for the R’s. Simple enough….”

Doesn’t this read “Democrats want a higher debt limit, so have to give up on spending. Republicans want lower spending, so have to raise debt limit?”

Shouldn’t it be “Democrats want spending, have to give up up on tax increases. Republicans want to cut spending, have to give up on no tax increases.”

Taxes and spending is what they’re arguing over. Republicans introduced a hostage (debt ceiling) into the mix.

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Democrats have already compromised and cut funds for schools, the environment, heating assistance for the poor and community health centers. Enough already! The middle class and poor are on their knees now. Republicans–you’ve whipped them enough! You are officially abusers of children, the poor, the elderly, and working people. Now, you’ll finish the job by not raising the debt ceiling? That’ll hurt your only remaining supporters–mainly, the rich–so it’ll never happen. Even republicans aren’t that stupid. Their Masters–Wall Street and Corporations and the Rich–will reign in this idiocy before they push the button. So Democrats–stand up for your values and beliefs! Defend the underdogs, those with no voice in Washington, the poor, the children, the elderly–and don’t compromise with these horrific abusers of human kind.

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innerestin

Insiders’ pick for DOD: Leon Panetta
politico.com

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Uh, Jay. Are you and Tucker switch hitting?

Yes, we need “death panels”
http://blogs.ajc.com/cynthia-tucker/2011/04/20/yes-we-need-death-panels/?cxntfid=blogs_cynthia_tucker

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Paul @9:06 am – You are so right but remember those were the days when Republicans said deficts did’t matter.

stands for decibels @9:09 am – Thanks for the correction.

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md

This seems a pretty serious escalation. It’d be like during the Cuban Missile Crisis if Khruschev said “we want your missiles out of Turkey” and Kennedy said “we want your missiles out of Cuba” and then Khruschev said “take your missiles out or we roll over Berlin.”

Threats to do something that cause harm are not negotiations.

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Southern Comfort (aka The Man)

Read what you said the other day about Black men dating white women.

I know that you will never believe this, but are you aware that a very popular trend among attractive married black women is to have a white guy for a booty call?

They like our sense of humor, they like the fact that we don’t take ourselves so seriously, they like the fact that we don’t run our mouths to our friends, and the really like the things we do. But the thing they like the most is that most black men would never suspect it.

Just thought you should know.

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If history were to repeat itself, Pres Reagan would give fine speeches stating exactly that, then in two term he’d take our $14 trillion accumulated debt and run it up to $42 trillion.

If there’s any unexplained booms around the metro Atlanta area today, I’m holding you personally responsible, Paul. I think heads exploded with that one.

md

A tax increase on me would achieve what both parties want to do. Dems would get their tax increase, and Reps would get a pay cut. It wouldn’t keep me from maintaining my independent streak either way. I know we’re in for some tough decisions, and I have no problem paying more now so that my daughter doesn’t have to shoulder the burden.

Bosch

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I’m constantly amazed at how the small government worshiping GOP conveniently blocks out 2 wars and the unfunded prescription drug card give away to big Pharma under the leadership of Dubya. yes, let’s cut school lunch programs, meals on wheels for seniors, turn over SS to those bastions of ethics on Wall Street, gut the pesky EPA, FDA, etc, fooey on them all. Survival of the fittest baby, and screw everyone else.

snark snark

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GE PROFITS JUMP 77%
TAX FREE?

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Look, I agree that spending is most of the problem in the Federal Budget. And Dems are full of playing games, not behaving honestly, and are trying to hang Republicans on their own proposals.

That said, I won’t take the Republicans 100% seriously until they admit that there have to be some form of revenue increases. Not tax rate increases (rather the opposite one would hope), but with the elimination of deductions instead.

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Fletch

April 21st, 2011
9:24 am

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“Taxes and spending is what they’re arguing over. Republicans introduced a hostage (debt ceiling) into the mix.”

Actually, the debt ceiling has been there all along……………….

And there in lies the problem……….instead of planning for it, the misfits find ways to ignore it……..and that is why we have 14 trillion in debt……..

All you folks that hate personal analogies can skip this, but how many of you get to call your credit card companies and demand they raise your limits??

The limits are there for a reason…………………

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buck@gon- The gun analogy might be a bit “extreme” I admit

I’m sure it’s Palin’s fault.

The big difference is leadership. Reagan had it by the bucket load and obama couldn’t recognize it unless the teleprompter gave him a clue.

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stands for decibels…

will you be cutting the government a check for more than you owe to compensate for their wreckless spending?

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since it was so well-funded. Same goes for two wars that were “off the books”. And the Iraq wars were the only time in HISTORY that the US took tax rates down during wartime.

If this is how the GOP will solve the issues, we are screwed with either party

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All you folks that hate personal analogies can skip this, but how many of you get to call your credit card companies and demand they raise your limits??

Not me. They just do it automatically. It must be my AAA credit rating.

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SoCom

sorry…..

unintended consequences?

Back on topic, there is the question whether Republican House leaders understand what not raising the debt ceiling will do. If they don’t understand, they face unintended consequences. If they do understand, then it is as Jay said, they are willing to do grave harm to our country in pursuit of an ideology.

Can anyone guess what word is used to describe a person who does not care what damage he does in the pursuit of ideology?

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lynnie gal@9:17

Even republicans aren’t that stupid. Their Masters–Wall Street and Corporations and the Rich–will reign in this idiocy before they push the button.

Bingo!!
They’re not afraid of Obama, but their Masters ($$$) can easily bring them to heel.

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It appears the current discussion about the debt ceiling is merely a diversion by the so-called conservatives to erase the enormous blunders made during the Bush Administration.

President Bush came into office with a budget surplus and he and the Repubs promptly gave away the surplus, started two unfunded wars without having the means to pay for them and voting to put the cost in the budget, overpaid for Medicare Part D, gave tax cuts to the rich, aided in the decimation of jobs in the USA by taking away enforcement of tax laws for the corporations.

These things have been identified as major contributors to the financial meltdown of the American economy, albeit the world’s economy.

Given those actions, the Repubs are currently attempting to erase all those items from our collective memories and giving themselves a a pat-on-the-back for “saving us” from the evils of liberals.

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Paul

Obama came from humble roots? Attended Panahou Private school in Honolulu, raised by the Dunhams on one of the few properties on Oahu that actually owned their land as opposed to everyone else who have to buy 100 year leases.

Humble compared to who? The Kennedies?

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@@- Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin

He’s another crook from Chicago. Wouldn’t know what a hard day of labor is. Luckily for me I can say that without being a racist because he’s white.

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When the GAO discovers waste in the hundreds of billions for the year 2010, I have to ask….”Was Obama really serious about eliminating waste?” He made that commitment in 2009, and yet in the following year? BOOM!

In her testimony before Congress last month, Kathleen M. King, Director of Health Care at the U.S. General Accountability Office (GAO), reported “improper payments” under the Medicare and Medicaid programs amounting to almost $70.5 billion for fiscal year 2010.

Is the guy just slow or what?

And from “Citizens Against Government Waste”?

WASHINGTON–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Today, Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) issued its weekly spending cut alert aimed at eliminating the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). LSC, which received $420 million in fiscal year (FY) 2010, distributes grant money to 138 nonprofit legal aid organizations across the country in an effort to provide free legal services for the poor. However, LSC has often used its taxpayer-provided funds not to grant legal representation to impoverished citizens, but to promote political agendas that have nothing to do with the indigent.

$420,000,000 intended to help the poor but spent elsewhere?

The GOVERNMENT is too DAMN BIG!!!!! One hand doesn’t know what the other’s doing or maybe they do.

Why should they care? It’s not their money that’s being wasted.

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“It’s not a credit card, this isn’t a family budget; it’s the most powerful, richest nation ever on this planet, and if you can’t grasp that, go ride the flippin’ Tilt-a-Whirl or something else less intimidating.”

Denial of the situation will not make it go away……………

When S&P warns of a downgrade on the debt………for the first time ever……..folks might want to sit up and take notice……….they don’t do that because there is no problem………

Not too long ago, we bailed out some of the richest most powerful corporations in the entire world…………..

And out of curiosity, think the USSR “planned” to go bankrupt……..

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Bush tried to raise the debt ceiling earlier and it was voted down by Democrats including Barak Hussein Obama. Shoe is on the other foot now isn’t it?

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It’s time we stop letting China pay our bills.Sure nobody wants to see a tax increase.But every credible economist has said spending cuts alone won’t do it.In the end even Ronald Reagan conceded that amd raised taxes.But let’s put some honesty in the conversation.If it means bringing down the country to make President Obama look bad,it’s a damn shame but they are willing.

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“We will do it on the backs of the poor”,,what a pathetic man Obama is

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All of these posters telling people to voluntary give more money to the government, we do it anyway. This year it is an extra $2200.
Lets go after these tax cheats because it is raising taxes for everyone.

http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/tax-cheats-cost-uncle-sam-3-trillion-cost-173224779.html

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I hear a bunch of the Obozo fellators whining about the cost of Medicare Part D, but they somehow never get around to calling for reducing or eliminating it. You do know that your Idiot Messiah made it even MORE expensive adding new benefits to it, right?

Hypocrites.

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Paul and Tp,

Guess I should have included “with all the same conditions” in my analogy……….doubt highly either of you would have your limits raised if your outstanding balance was bumping up against the limit………

But you 2 do prove my point to an extent……..don’t spend too much, and one won’t have the problem.

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the GOP “will not grant their request for a debt limit increase” without major spending cuts or budget process reforms.

OH THE HORROR!

S&P’s negative outlook wasn’t enough of a warning that something needs to be done??

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Jay….GOP “will not grant their request for a debt limit increase

Are you really surprised….didnt you say that we should attack the debt issue from all sides?

“Taking the nation hostage” that really depends from what viewpoint you are looking from.

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larry,

the tax loopholes are there b/c of politicians. they’re the ones who created the tax code in the first place. you can’t blame these “evil corporations” for taking advantage of the current tax code. individual citizens do it every day with bogus write-offs…it’s just on a much smaller scale than big companies. the politicians are to blame for the tax code.

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You complain about a statement a Republican made about taxes, yet Obama extended those “tax cuts for the rich”.

I thought actions spoke louder than words.

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Jay ” i cannot imagine leaders of any other era, of any party or ideology, threatening to do severe long-term damage to the country as a means of winning a political argument”

I can…Start with our current president when he voted against raising the debt, later stating that the move was merely political. He did then what Cantor is saying he wants to do now. I am sure you were okay with it then though right because there was a Rep in the White House.

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Good little liberal

????

Honestly, I don’t care what two people do, or what races they do it with. Everyone’s entitled to be with whomever they choose to be with. End of that discussion.

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think the USSR “planned” to go bankrupt…

Who knows. All I know is, we’re in much better financial shape than the USSR could have ever hoped to have been, md.

When Texas and, oh, let’s say Washington Sate have exploded into armed civil conflict, and we’re also sending massive ground troops into Mexico to keep the drug war from spilling over here, we might have a somewhat parallel situation.

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john
April 21st, 2011
9:47 am

The GOP would like to take us back to the “Good old days” No health insurance, no social security, no helping the poor and needy. Wow, what a great political party to belong too!
———–

Link please.

Didn’t think so.

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I see GE has made more profit this past quarter. Perhaps Obama is planning on borrowing some from Immelt. It would only be the fair thing for Immelt to do given that he borrowed from us when he needed money.

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????

it’s true, SoCo. I can’t tell you how often I have to fend off all these hawt attractive married sistahz ringing me up. Drives the Mrs. crazy it does.

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Since this is a day ending in ay we have another column by Jay Bookman accusing the GOP of imperiling the nation. And, for once, he’s right. The GOP didn’t go nearly far enough. We need massive spending cuts and massive tax cuts. Economics is more black magic than science. George Bernard Shaw said if all the economists in the world were laid end to end they still wouldn’t reach a conclusion (often attributed to Harry Truman). Truman did say he’d like to find a one handed economist. But there are some simple principles that are obvious. Such as the worth of anything is inversely proportional to its volume. If gold were as common place as sand it would be worthless. So if the government keeps printing money as fast as the ink will go on paper, no matter how much you have, its value will decrease. If taxes are cut, taxes revenues will increase because that is the only thing that stimulates the economy. It is not trickle down. It is torrent down. The Porkulus bill in 2008 stimulated absolutely nothing. And Marxist Medicine when its kicks in 3 years from now will totally destroy our economy and the quality of American medical care. But this is what George Soros wants and his puppet Jug Ears is more than happy to shovel the dirt on our graves.

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Paul:

I would argue that there’s a critical difference between Reagan and Obama.

Reagan was, at one time, a Democrat (of the old school) who saw the light. With age comes wisdom.

Obama is a democrat of the new left order. He’s still wet behind the ears ’cause his brain’s been sweated. He has no lifetime experience on which to draw.

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Mary- I don’t want to shift the cost of healthcare to the American people; I want to reduce healthcare costs

I guess he should of thought of that before shoving obamacare down our throats. I guess he’ll have to repeal his own bill now.

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Paul @9:28 am – Very astute observations.

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“Who knows. All I know is, we’re in much better financial shape than the USSR could have ever hoped to have been, md.”

Are we??

Hasn’t Japan been trying to come out of a funk for the past decade??

I understand the optimism based on historical data/performance, but what happens if the “projected” income never materializes?

Take a look at the budgets……they are based on projections……..not worse case scenarios.

Ever do any 5 or 10 year plans where you take all options/courses into account??

Projected income is a gamble…….we are banking on the better outcomes.

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dawg,

The President was crushed by corporate media, corporate power and the coc (chamber of commerce) when he tried to fight citizen united.

He is playing the game now and plays it well.

You keep posting old con talking points and articles that have been posted many times here.

Try something different dawg.

Try an original thought like I just posted.

Glad I could help.

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Jay, if you are saying that is the GOP holding the gun to economy’s head, why didn’t you say the same thing with the Dems and having to get Obamacare passed? That costly behemoth only increases our deficit, kills jobs, and the economy. While people were losing their jobs left and right and the economy was losing steam, rather than focusing on measures to increase job growth, all the Dems wanted to do was “never let a serious crisis go to waste” and pass a pork laden bill that most people do not want. Way to put the gun to the economy’s head Pelosi, Reid, and Obama.

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“Obama: Republican budget plan is ‘radical’”

Hyperbole

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UGA1999 ,

trump is a publicity stunt and will not run.

He is broke.

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@@

“He has no lifetime experience on which to draw.”

Funny, I always pictured you and Pres Obama as about the same age – you, maybe even a bit younger.

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It should have read “to satisfy a political objective.”

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dB

So, that’s how they’re getting the Mercedes to drive to ______ and use their EBT card to purchase __________. They’re using a borrowed car from their booty call.

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“Voting to end Medicare is radical.”

Except that there is no proposal to do so . . .

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Lets cut the crap cons.

You don’t want the wealthy to sacrifice anything so you are lying about caring about the deficit

You are playing radical games and rove is begging you to stop but you can’t because you are children.

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I know. Let’s rely on analysis from the Heritage Foundation. After all, they can perform miracles such as getting unemployment down to 2%. That must be why Ryan used them to help come up with his yellow brick road map.

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the GOP has no interest in solutions, they want a fight and they want the power back. we moderates has watched with bemusement as the GOP tacked relentlessly to the right, treating kooks and has- beens like Palin, Trump and Gingrich as if they are relevant, figuring they are only hurting themsleves…now, however, i agree with Jay…this has stopped being about ‘the loyal opposition’ or politics as usual and become an obvious willingness to wreck an economic recovery in the name of partisanship and ideology.

OK, that’s my rant for the morning, back to work…

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“Did anyone notice that those who have been loaning us money having been shorting the market in that they have moved from purchasing long-term bonds (30 years) to the more short-term (3 and 5 year) bonds.”

And what is interesting, it is US buyers that are bailing on the bonds…………………

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I guess the Democrats have only done fake damage with organizations like Fannie and Freddie, right?

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@Dave R.

For starters, President Obama is the President of the USA.
Secondly, to fix the problem, we have to raise the debt limit; let the Bush-era taxes expire; remove “special” items from the corporate tax code; tax those corporations that maintain their corporate offices in the USA but move their monies offshore; get our troops out of Afghanistan and Iraq; reduce the out-of-control Pentagon budget by $500 Billion IMMEDIATELY; reduce the Medicare Part D funding; bring about a single-payer health care system; have a %7 percent tax paid by citizens to cover all health care, much like that of Australia; reallocate funding for our schools and infrastructure.

These are just a few of the things we could do to bring our economy back to equilibrium.

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larry “Voting to end Medicare is radical.

And i don’t think its going to happen judging the reception Mr. Ryan got at his townhall meeting last night.”

Unfortunately, nobody even understands what the guy is proposing. The lib media spins it totally out of control stating that everybody will lose medicare benefits, including those already in the system. When you actually read the bill and listen to Ryan, that is not at all what is being proposed. He is talking about transforming future benefits, but that falls on deaf ears because the media only wants to believe the lies being spewed by Obama, Pelosi and Reid. Such a scam.

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Hey, if the Republicans didn’t want to deal with Obama, they shouldn’t have let him win the election by witholding the secret Kenyan Birth scenario until after he won.

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Keep…..and you are so sure the way the “youth” will vote? Why is that? Have you seen the lastest polls?

How do you think the Repubs will deny them their votes?? This should be good.

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“You don’t want the wealthy to sacrifice anything so you are lying about caring about the deficit”

Hmm……wonder how many of those wealthy are still paying loans from not sacrificing 15 years of their lives going to school……………….

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Scott,

Your lies will not work here.

Try kyle wingnut’s blog con hack.

ryan’s death budget is radical.

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Keep up… “Republicans will use all efforts to deny them their constitutional vote.”
Yeah…I guess we will have a couple of guys from the Black Panthers sitting outside of polling places with baseball bats. Oh wait….that was the Dems doing that. Sorry.
Why would I think that our youth only treats the Presidential election as a popularity contest? It obviously worked on somebody as narrow-minded and oblivious to reality like you.

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Getalife….why are you so hostile? Lets try to have an adult debate/conversation.

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Scott, i know exactly what he is proposing and nobody likes it at all.

I mean in ten years we start getting a voucher to buy private insurance instead of Medicare.

I would like to know how many private insurance companies are going to insure 65 year olds with pre-existing conditions? My guess is none. So there is the reason why people in his own district were booing him last night. It is a bad plan and it will go nowhere.

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Somebody remind him there’s another election coming up next year, but I see no reason why the budgeting process couldn’t be changed to accomodate everyone. Something drastic clearly needs to be done. What about a progressive tax of 10, 20 or 30% on gross income with no deductions and no exemptions on the first $100, $200 and $300k?

If the vote can get to the floor it will pass with bipartisan support. The interest on the debt is going to eat us alive unless we can start working it down. Fortunately, most of it goes to the government in an accounting entry or to U.S. entities.

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getalife – it is not the end of Medicare. And in particular for those 55 and older.

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It’s the end of medical care for many under the age of 55 when they reach 65.

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Keep….so far that has not happened. However I can post proof of voter intimidation by the left at the last election.

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uga…you don’t understand that someone claiming that America’s youth only careabout voting the next American Idol is underestimating our youth?

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Getalife…..”most of america is sick of the con lies”.

Prove it….have you seen the latest polls. Do you remember what happened in the latest elections?

You dont think Obama and his crew play childish politics??

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A bad time for Obama’s approval dip
By Sam Youngman – 04/20/11 06:25 AM ET

President Obama’s approval ratings are plummeting, and the timing is terrible for the White House.

Even as Obama skewered Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) and the House GOP budget plan, his approval rating dipped in a Gallup poll to 41 percent, the lowest number yet of his presidency.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/obama-rerun/156889-obamas-approval-rating-falls-at-bad-time

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Maybe Obama should get Buffett, Gates and the rest of the top 2% of the wealthiest among us to cosign?

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Yeah, let them ruin that AAA credit rating, after Little Nero w/a Cowboy Hat’s reign of Error, and that will be the last straw for The people. We will be rid of Them at least for the rest of my lifetime.

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uga, voter intimidation should never by tolerated whether by the Kochs or by any other group. I agree with the following:
For every voting-age citizen, America’s irreducible goals should be:
•everyone who wants to be registered, is registered;
•everyone who wants to vote, can vote;
•every vote that is cast is a vote that is counted.

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FACT: Republicans have agreed to increase the debt ceiling. If it doesn’t happen, its Obama’s fault.

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I remember quite well my democratic card carrying days as a college youth……my friends and I were poor as dirt, and all we cared about was ta-ta’s, booze, and voting for the evil rich to give us our due………..

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Paul:

Reagan was the first president I had the privilege of voting for. There was something about his demeanor. You would never hear him say “We won!”

Obama couldn’t even come close to Reagan’s agreeable nature…his mastery of the 11th Commandment.

Tax Reform Act 1986

As per Tax Reform Act 1986, Reagan set out to achieve two broad aims – he tried to make the tax base broader and also do away with any partiality in US tax structure. This followed a certain procedure. The process was initiated with the proposals by Democrats Dick Gephardt and Bill Bradley in 1983. This was succeeded by the plan prepared by US treasury as per Reagan’s instructions.

The act was a bipartisan one and attempted to be revenue-neutral. It lowered the top marginal rate and also, to a certain extent, removed various loopholes in US tax system. It also did away with exceptions and preferences. This meant that effective taxes could be imposed on areas that had been previously provided with tax related favors.

Have I not said I’m in favor of such measures???

Now leave me alone. You’re a bit too squishy for me.

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THIS is NOT “a means of winning a political argument”. thats just *()(*&&*&*^it. This is trying to turn the tide of financial disaster that this country is heading toward. And its attitudes like this that caused us to be downgraded by one of the top financial groups in the country……

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Keep….so you think convicted felons should be permitted to vote?

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Kudos to Sen. Mark Pryor Ark. who stated that he would vote against raising the debt ceiling unless meaningful spending and debt reduction measures are implemented. Will more Dem’s join him?

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I, for one, want to see politicians talk seriously about spending cuts and entitlement reform before talking about plundering more money from any of my fellow citizens. It seems Paul Ryan is the only one willing to engage in that conversation.

Harry Reid and most dems called 32 billion in fake cuts draconian and heck, Reid wouldn’t even come to the Social Security reform table if private accounts were to be an option for “free” American citizens. Very few Democrats are serious about what it’s going to take to right our fiscal house. We are entitled to the PURSUIT of happiness, not the government’s provision thereof… entitlement reform is key! Unfortunately, too many people want to remain latched onto a nipple and go down with Mother America.

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“Well most of Americans are sick of the con lies and radical games but you have not seen hostile from me yet.”

There are a lot of Americans who are sick of Washington waste and of picking up the tab for all of the parasites in this country who can’t work, earn, and save their own money.

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“Do you believe the USA will loose enough market share in the next few years that it will be supplanted as the world’s largest economy?”

Not in the next few years, but more than likely in the next 20-30………

China has all the variables in place that we had many years ago……and their biggest asset is cheap labor………which will lead to huge growth and consumerism within their own country….much like it did here before our labor costs got too high……….

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UGA, in most cases, yes after they have served their time.

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JKL2 @ 9:54 am

“Mary- I don’t want to shift the cost of healthcare to the American people; I want to reduce healthcare costs

I guess he should of thought of that before shoving obamacare down our throats. I guess he’ll have to repeal his own bill now.”

—————————————————————————-
JKL2,

Thank you for responding to my post at 9:17 a.m.. I hope readers will listen to President Obama’s comments – in substantive detail – regarding his thoughts on the deficit/debt, healthcare delivery, jobs, etc. at the link I gave at 9:17:

http://www.distressedvolatility.com/2011/04/facebook-townhall-with-president-obama.html

Also, please note the following, JKL2@ which was on “google” in the LA Times:

“If congressional Republicans are successful in killing the healthcare reform law, the Congressional Budget Office says, the deficit will grow by $230 billion over the next decade and the number of uninsured Americans will increase. But GOP lawmaker says the legislation is a ‘job killer,’ as repeal hearing begins.”
January 06, 2011|By Michael A. Memoli, Tribune Washington Bureau
——————————————————-
IMHO, there are too many “bumper sticker” slogans being perpetuated about what the President’s
fiscal responsibilities have been and will be. The fact remains that he inherited a 1.4 trillion dollar defict when he took office, and that he had to increase that deficit because of the Recovery Act, TARP to keep the nation from falling into a Depression. Two million jobs have been added to the private sector since he became president, and the Recovery Act (Stimulus) has kept intrastructure in the states viable.

Listen to the Facetown Town Hall Meeting at the link above to learn his details for reducing the deficit by 2015, and for keeping Medicare afloat while not changing it fundamentally, as the Ryan Plan does. (BTW, from the Washington Post poll of yesterday, 70% of Tea Partiers do not want to change Medicare in any way.)

I do not think that the President forced the Healthcare Plan upon us; I believe that he was barely able to get it into law (that which no other president had been able to do who tried) because Republican congressmen and women voted – in lockstep – to defeat his plan, and some while voting against it, even acknowledged that the underlying reason for voting against it was to weaken Obama’s presidency. Afterall, the new healthcare law is very much like the Mass. healthplan, as designed by Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

I hope readers will see all of these factors and will not support what is against their best interests, regardless of party. The health insurance industry in America needs some governmental check upon its ways for the benefit of the American people. Again, “google” the name of Wendell Potter for details as to why I say that.

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“President Obama’s approval ratings are plummeting, and the timing is terrible for the White House.”

Maybe Obama is counting on Bill “Slick Willy” Clinton to come to his rescue just as he has done before:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bfbNsk9IbA

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A Washington Post/ABC News poll released Tuesday shows Obama at 47 percent, down seven points since January.

Worse yet for the White House, Gallup shows the president in a nosedive with independents, who are coveted by the Obama-Biden 2012 campaign.

From April 12-14, independents’ approval of Obama fell to 35 percent, 9 percentage points off his average for the year, according to Gallup.

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Wonder if there’s an intern in Obama’s future? It might help the approval rating.

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I’m willing to bet Trump doesn’t have as much $ as he says he has…..

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uga…I think you are confused again. You commented on a comment I made to another poster about american youth. Please do show me where I have claimed to know how youth will vote. So if you want to call your false claim about my position ignorant, you have to first show that I made the claim. If you can’t then….

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For anyone in need of a few facts. It is fundamentally IMPOSSIBLE to balance the budget in a couple of weeks (when 40% of spending comes from creditors and the government budget makes up 25% of GDP) without causing a giant recession / depression. It is however, possible to put the budget on a path to sustainability if some major changes happen.

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soco,

Back then, I liked being the victim……….all I could see is what I had and what others had…..and it wasn’t fair.

Took a long time to realize it was all up to me………..

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jm

Here’s some news that might cheer you up…
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/21/mitt-romney-obama-poll_n_851932.html

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Steve is another aka the man.

What time did I take my first bong hit Steve?

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“I’m willing to bet Trump doesn’t have as much $ as he says he has…..”

The Donald usually speaks in terms of “net worth”…….which may indicate he is less liquid than he would like to be………….

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Mick 10:45 – thanks. But I don’t think the polls will be especially useful until mid 2012.

Obama seems determined to remind independents that he is not the right guy. This Boeing this is sooooooooooooo far beyond ridiculous as to make my head spin.

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Real Damage? Let’s talk about real damage. How about the real damage unions have brought to this nation? Yes, unions were great at first, when they stood for something and without government regulating work hours, saftey conditions (OSHA), and pay. Now unions have become a drain and are responsible for sending many jobs overseas. Unions have become another corrupt political lobby/organization.

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Scott your claim of I am sure you were probably okay with the first lady sitting out at a polling location trying to encourage voters to pull the lever for the Dems despite that action being illegal too. is also dishonest in light of my prior posts. But you really were not looking for honest discussion were you? Was the first lady charged or convicted of a crime?

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I think LeeH1 has it about right:

“Of course they will drive america off a cliff for their narrow ideology! That’s what they were elected to do! …. No taxes for the rich! Let the markets regulate themselves! Get rid of government entirely, except for the police and jail system! Get rid of all minority positions, and make this country the wonderful palce it was back in the days when rich white people ran it!”

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“GOP threatens to do real damage to country”

DEMONCRATS have already done irreversable damage.

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Jay, what in the hell do you have to say about the President backing an effort, after Boeing has expended hundreds of millions on the new plant, to say “nevermind, you’re screwed, your plant is illegal because my union buddies don’t like labor competition and need the union dues”.

G-d d-mmit, I’m so pissed I can’t see straight. I will give every red cent I legally can to the Republican in 2012 (assuming its not Trump/Palin). G-d freakin d-mmit this is ridiculous.

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The People will soon tire of this. This backward lurch, and to the red right, is temporary. Arbitron says 85% of Fox (and AM radio listeners) are over the age of 65. It is a pretty good assumption that that roughly resembles the Teabaggapublican buffoon demographic currently holding hostage America’s (and Georgia’s) further Progress.

This period is embarrassing and humiliating to those of us proud of America’s (& Georgia’s) previous leading role as a shining light in a sea of Stoopid. But it is temporary. Tick…tock…tick…tock

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When the 45% of folks paying no federal tax have some skin in the game… you can be sure they will vocalize their displeasure in the money wasted on stupid federal programs and our unsustainable entitlements… Maybe that’s the solution…and we can agree to start a real dialogue… and Jay… Specifically…. what long term spending cuts are you in favor of ? Social Security… Medicare, Medicaid and Defense is where the solution lies… everything else in nibbling around the edges…

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Scout 10:51 – amen.

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jm, you put in quotes “nevermind, you’re screwed, your plant is illegal because my union buddies don’t like labor competition and need the union dues” so I guess you have a link to show Obama actually used those words in a statement.

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J Moore, I think most Americans would agree with a tax increase. However, the government obviously has illustrated it does not know how to handle money. One the government comes up with a serious plan to cut spending across the board, then they should raise taxes on all. But until the government proves that they can be fiscally responsible, then they don’t deserve any more money from the people.

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God help us.

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“In what may be the strongest signal yet of the new pro-labor orientation of the National Labor Relations Board under President Obama, the agency filed a complaint Wednesday seeking to force Boeing to bring an airplane production line back to its unionized facilities in Washington State instead of moving the work to a nonunion plant in South Carolina.”

I guess the dems would prefer Boeing join Ford down in Mexico………….labor is playing a very dangerous game when the world market is clamoring to add industries………..

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Keep 10:54 – duh, that want’s a direct quote. That was a literary flourish.

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Lame post Jay.

What I can’t believe is that it’s so difficult for the Libs to agree to cut some spending. Cut spending and you can have your debt limit increased. Is that too much to ask for?! You liberals trying to villainize conservatives for trying to do the responsible thing won’t cut it. The american people, while slow, are not that stupid. It’s the only leverage the conservatives have, otherwise, you sex in the city spendthrifts will spend us into oblivion.

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Mick, if you are too much of a fool to realize that Unions have become corrupt, power hungry, political organizations, then I pity you.

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Keep – re: your 10:54.

I suggest you argue the substance of the issue, rather than trying to score meaningless points on literary license.

Unless you live to divert and deflect as so many libs on this blog like to do . . .

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jm…you must be hitting that bong hard. using quotes for your literary flourish…..is that another way to say “not intended to be a factual statement”?

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Oh, and stop throwing the word “Extremists” around, your lib propaganda is getting old.

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Keep 10:59 – bingo. it was reading between the lines / paraphrasing the actions. how’s your friend the straw man doing?

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Bobby,

Ok, radical is better.

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If I was Boeing, I’d move the f’in plant to Mexico with this crap going on.

No wonder we keep losing manufacturing jobs.

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I love how you liberal phonies attack the rich. Of course it doesn’t matter what percentage of the budget the rich already pay! And they let 45 percent of the population pay no taxes as long as they vote for Prezdint Obozo. But let me ask you marxists–did you ever take any risk in life yourself? Did you ever invest your money? Did you ever start a company and go without paychecks to weather the hard times? Did you get a college degree or learn to be an electrician? Maybe you dropped out of school and decided drugs, alcohol, and sex was the way to go–hmmm. Maybe you placed your faith in the teamsters rather than God–hmmm. For the most part, the Democratic Party is comprised of the godless, the perverts, and lazies who think they are entitled to someone else’s money while rationizing their poor decisions. I say eat dirt and die!!!

Finally, how is it that whatever Clinton did should be the tax standard? Now that is arbitrary to say the least. The truth is that the last 47 years put us in this mess of “entitlements”. The chickens have come home. Didn’t JFK say something about doing for your country rather than what your party does now?

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jm,

What Boeing’s doing is illegal. You don’t like laws?

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RE Boeing. Sorry in advance, but this is completely merited on this one.

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Didn’t think you’d see that SITC reference. Going to trademark that phrase, it’ll be bigger than Winning

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” it is sad that unions have driven the labor costs to such an extent,”

Except they haven’t.

http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/04/07/labor-losing-influence/

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bm

So, how did we compete in the 50’s, 60’s? We had tariffs that protected our workers keeping the playing field level. I’m not saying that all unions are benevolent but the fact of the matter is that this country has been “sold out” for the almighty profit, american workers be damned…now we have arrived at a new gilded age and have to make corrections and fight our way back….bottom line, the gov’t is complicit but not totally to blame..

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jm,

Seriously, if things like that keep you up at night and cause such anxiety, you should think about seeing your doctor. Or Yoga or Tai Chi or something man. I think that situation hardly warrants a poutrage such as to telling the President (who really ultimately has nothing to do with it) to go have sex with himself repeatedly.

I mean, really.

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Jay, calling someone who disagrees with you a “Spoiled kid”? Nice arrogance.

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md

I was tired of being told I “was” the victim. Especially when I was in a well balanced, well integrated environment, and I was running near the top of the class in most areas.

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Why is it assumed that SCOTUS will rule in favor of Boeing? Is there a legal basis of case references for the claim or just court activism based on politics?

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“So is coming into this country through the back door…………..doesn’t seem to matter then.”

Yeah, md, I know — talk to the GOP about that one.

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Dave R.,

What’s sadder to me is that we were forced to pass labor laws such as that to keep companies from screwing it’s employees.

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The mere fact that it is illegal for a private company to build a product wherever they choose

Someone here does not apparently know the laws that apply to the case. Their “mere fact” is not intended to be a factual statement.

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Bosch 11:09 “who really ultimately has nothing to do with it” um, again, reading comprehension?

“But ever since a Democratic majority took control of the five-member board after Mr. Obama’s election, the board has signaled that it would seek to adopt a more liberal, pro-union tilt after years of pro-employer decisions under President Bush.”

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Actually, the 11:05 is a slimmed down Benjamin Franklin, looking down from Heaven…………heartbroken because of The Federal Leviathon that has strangled America.

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Bosch, my favorite quote from the article is:

Determining which of these characterizations is generally correct is a complicated task, and well beyond the scope of a short non-technical blog post.

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JMoore — “But let me ask you marxists”

Where, exactly, are the “marxists” on this board? Purple prose much?

“did you ever take any risk in life yourself?”

Yes.

“Did you ever invest your money?”

Yes.

“Did you ever start a company and go without paychecks to weather the hard times?”

Yes.

“Did you get a college degree or learn to be an electrician?”

Yes.

“Maybe you dropped out of school and decided drugs, alcohol, and sex was the way to go–hmmm.”

No.

“Maybe you placed your faith in the teamsters rather than God–hmmm.”

I’ve never been a union member and I’m an atheist, but I don’t see what that has to do with anything.

“For the most part, the Democratic Party is comprised of the godless,”

There are plenty of theist Democrats, but don’t let that stop you. There are plenty of theist Republicans, too, but many of y’all don’t want to recognize it. Every time Jim Rob figures out that the atheists on Free Republic have been sending each other messages and pings on the side, he kicks us all off.

If you don’t want atheist money, atheist support and atheist votes going to the GOP, I’m sure the Democrats will be happy to take all of the above.

“the perverts,”

I don’t know what you do with whoever in your bedroom and I frankly don’t care. And you can stay the hell out of me and my wife’s bedroom — and stop trying to listen at the door.

“and lazies”

Who do you think works harder? A plumber or an investment banker? A worker in an automobile assembly plant or a CEO? A schoolteacher or a Koch brother?

“who think they are entitled to someone else’s money while rationizing their poor decisions.”

Huh. Guess I shouldn’t have enlisted in the Army and wound up a disabled veteran. Would it be ‘rationalizing a poor decision’ if I regretted serving my country in uniform during wartime?

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So the Idiot Messiah thinks it’s his job to tell private companies where they may locate their facilities?

Idiot Messiah and supporters: Fascists.

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BMDPD,

Yeah, and since it’s well beyond HIS scope, I’d say it’s well beyond yours as well.

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Bookman, two words, Democrats and Detroit

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LBB 11:17 – indeed.

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jm @ 11:05

You have learned well, grasshopper!!

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jm,

“Although the board has not yet issued many major decisions reversing Bush-era policies, it has proposed requiring private sector employers to post a notice about workers’ right to unionize, and Mr. Solomon has begun moving more aggressively to win reinstatement of union supporters fired illegally by management during unionization drives. ”

I guess you missed that part, huh? Wow, that’s something — requirnig companies to post notices and all.

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November 7, 2008
Q: Do 40 percent of Americans pay no taxes?
A: About 38 percent of households have zero or negative income tax liability, but they pay other federal taxes.
Towards the end of the campaign, John McCain and prominent conservatives like Lou Dobbs claimed that Barack Obama’s proposed tax plan would amount to welfare because it offered a tax credit to the 40 percent of Americans who pay no taxes. We’ve already looked into the claims that Obama’s tax plan is a welfare handout (in short, it’s primarily a matter of how you define “welfare,” but Obama’s plan doesn’t look any more like welfare than McCain’s). But what about that 40 percent with no tax liability? Can it really be true that more than a third of the country pays no taxes at all?

According to the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, it is true that 38 percent of “tax units” — which can be singles, couples, or families — are projected to have zero or negative income tax liability in 2009. About 60 percent of these households make $20,000 per year or less.

However, being exempt from income tax does not mean you’re exempt from federal taxes. Everyone who works is liable for payroll taxes, contributions to Medicare and Social Security that come out of every paycheck. There are also excise taxes on some goods and services, most notably the 18.4 cents per gallon tax on gasoline. The Congressional Budget Office found that earners in the lowest quintile, where most of those with no income tax liability fall, shouldered 4.3 percent of the payroll tax burden in 2005 and 11.1 percent of the excise taxes. Their effective tax rate (which is calculated by dividing taxes paid by total income) in those categories, according to the CBO, was in fact significantly higher than the rate of the top quintile, although that top one-fifth of the population had a much higher effective tax rate for individual and corporate income taxes.

-Jess Henig

Sources
Congressional Budget Office. “Historical Effective Federal Tax Rates: 1979 to 2005.” Dec. 2007.

Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. “Distribution of Tax Units With Zero or Negative Income Tax Liability by Cash Income Level, 2009.” 15 Aug. 2008.

Copyright © 2003 – 2009, Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania
FactCheck.org’s staff, not the Annenberg Center, is responsible for this material.
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For all you 45% ers.

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lil bar,

I thought we were socialists.

What happened?

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Jm….i know many more people that feel the same as you about their vote in the last election…..cant wait to vote for “change” 2012.

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Lil’ “So the Idiot Messiah thinks it’s his job to tell private companies where they may locate their facilities?”

What do you think zoning laws do? (pointing, laughing)

“Idiot Messiah and supporters: Fascists.”

Lil’ and sycophants: clueless.

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Anybody Google how many times w raised the debt ceiling yet?

Pesky facts clouds your ideology doesn’t it.

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“In the future, we’ll run out of cheap labor sources and the cost of shipping will make people relocate back to the US. It may take a while, but it will eventually happen.”

Can’t agree with that one……..there are an awful lot of poor nations out there…….we are but a drop in the bucket………it will take lifetimes for the cycle to run it’s course through those poorer countries.

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md

Of course things have changed, can you hear that giant sucking sound? We gave up protecting our self interests as a country because so many worship the god money, sad but true, the people have been sold out…

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md,

I’ve read several articles that speculate that manufacturing will eventually move back to the US — I agree, I don’t think it will be in the next couple years, but as fuel prices go up, manufacturers are re-thinking their plans.

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Soco 11:19

getalife 11:18 – believe what you want

Bosch 11:19 – that’s a separate issue, not related to moving a whole frickin’ airplane manufacturing plant. just another absurd move by them. running out of straws yet?

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So the National labor relations board has actually backed labor?

I can see why jm and LBB’s tender feefees are hurted.

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no,no……….I got it……………….

The 11:05 was a picture of Jay Bookman everytime he receives the latest “talking points” from the DNC on how to put a positive spin on Obama’s accomplishments.

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Its easy to see that unions ruin companies and are unnecessary at this time in history:

Ford, GM, Chryster, Pontiac, etc.(unions) VS. Toyota, Honda, Kia, Nissan

Delta VS. Northwest (unions)

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“So the National labor relations board has actually backed labor?”

That’s the REAL news of the whole damn story.

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“We gave up protecting our self interests as a country because so many worship the god money, sad but true, the people have been sold out…”

Those sold out people are the ones that caused the problem……….Walmart wouldn’t be importing all that cheap crap from China if the “people” didn’t buy it…………….it is the demand for cheap crap that allows the supply to continue……………..

As I said earlier………when americans decide to pay more for goods is the day industries will make it here………..until then, don’t count on it.

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jm,

Take a break dude.

You sound bitter but the jobs are improving.

Hang in there and keep looking.

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md

I might be wrong, but I don’t see the US investing much on the continent of Africa. All one has to do is listen to many of the viewpoints from citizens now on conditions there. Many of the poorest of the poor don’t even have money to invest in basic infrastructure that we would want to have in place in order to exploit that cheap labor. Do you honestly believe that companies are going to go into a country, build that country’s infrastructure from the ground up, and then exploit cheap labor?

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“I’ve read several articles that speculate that manufacturing will eventually move back to the US — I agree, I don’t think it will be in the next couple years, but as fuel prices go up, manufacturers are re-thinking their plans.”

Logistics indicate Mexico would then be the better bet……….labor is still a fraction of what it is here……..just stating the facts.

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“they’re SUING Boeing to get them to move what might be a Billion dollar plant. And that means nothing to you?”

The company also said it had decided to expand in South Carolina in part to protect business continuity and to reduce the damage to its finances and reputation from future work stoppages.

So help me out here, is that why Boeing is expanding the plant in South Carolina?

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Paul:

One more thing. It’s easy to see why you’re so impressed with our president. You have his gift for gab with little to show in results.

No offense intended, just an observation.

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Bosch 11:37 – jesus dude. you’re really that daft.

That’s what the NLRB is suing to stop. “Boeing is expanding the plant in South Carolina”

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“Logistics indicate Mexico would then be the better bet……….labor is still a fraction of what it is here……..just stating the facts.”

Well, they have a drug war waging so factor in that in your profits.

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Bosch, you know what. I’ll accept your inability to comprehend the article. The news is so shocking it really is hard to believe and understand.

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md,

“when americans decide to pay more for goods is the day industries will make it here………..until then, don’t count on it.”

Your comment here reminded me of something — have you ever seen that show Hoarders? or Clean House? Watching those shows makes me realize we have too much damn stuff. Sometimes I think it would be nice to go back to the days of quality instead of quanitity. Ya’ know?

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@@,

I don’t think Paul fits any label but agree with his “gift for gab”.

You could argue he is a long term thinker like the President.

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have no doubt that Cheney does think $1.7 Trillion deficits matter, both economically and politically.

well given how he helped engineer them, he ought to.

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Mick — “Try buying a cadillac in japan, the tariff is so high it’s almost impossible, they protect their self interests, something we need to get back to…”

Frankly, I wouldn’t have a Caddy over there. It’d be hard to drive on some roads, and parking spaces you could fit into would be few and far between. Not to mention the price of gas.

The Japanese are nice people, but if you insist on living an American lifestyle over there, you’ll quickly find your wallet getting sucked dry at an alarming rate. Best to develop a taste for rice, noodles and fish, and to either buy a smaller car or figure out their transit system.

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BMDPD — “How bout stock holders in GM and Chrysler? Hurt much?”

Yes — the stock crashes during the Bush Administration did hurt those equity prices a great deal. Thanks for asking!

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Getalife:

I’ve often found that those who spend too much time thinking rarely get anything done. It’s a delay tactic, a way of prolonging the status quo.

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joe

Japan not tops on my list of places to live. However, the way things are going argentina, costa rica, australia, or new zealand, top the list…

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