House GOP has manuevered itself into a dead end
“You’ve always been crazy, this is just the first chance you’ve had to express yourself.”
– Louise to Thelma
——————————-
Even the folks on the Wall Street Journal editorial board understand that the House GOP is acting suicidal, noting that the squabble with Senate Republicans has turned into a “circular firing squad” and that “the political rout will only get worse” unless they concede the standoff with President Obama.
“At this stage, Republicans would do best to cut their losses and find a way to extend the payroll holiday quickly. Then go home and return in January with a united House-Senate strategy that forces Democrats to make specific policy choices that highlight the differences between the parties on spending, taxes and regulation. Wisconsin freshman Senator Ron Johnson has been floating a useful agenda for such a strategy. The alternative is more chaotic retreat and the return of all-Democratic rule.”
But Thelma and Louise, also known as John Boehner and Eric Cantor, show no signs of altering course, as the New York Times reports:
“Mr. Boehner of Ohio, the first-year speaker who has struggled throughout 2011 to corral his members, said House Republicans would not relent and accept a two-month extension of the tax cut that was approved by the Senate on Saturday as a way to buy time for a more permanent solution. He instead named members to a committee to negotiate a new agreement with the Senate, which adjourned Saturday….
Mr. Boehner called Mr. Obama to summon the Senate back to Washington to bargain with House Republicans despite the approach of the holidays. “I just think the American people expect us to do our work,” Mr. Boehner said.
But he was rebuffed by Mr. Obama, and by House and Senate Democrats, who said they would appoint no counterparts to Mr. Boehner’s newly named negotiators. And more Republican senators who voted for the Senate bill urged Mr. Boehner to get his lawmakers to do the same, saying the ugly fight was damaging both Republicans and the already badly battered Congress.
“It is harming the Republican Party,” Senator John McCain of Arizona said in an interview on CNN. “It is harming the view, if it’s possible anymore, of the American people about Congress. And we’ve got to get this thing resolved and with the realization that the payroll tax cut must remain in effect.”
Obama and the Democrats must think it’s Christmas or something.
– Jay Bookman
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1,134 comments Add your comment
getalife
December 21st, 2011
11:45 am
The fact (not for those living in la la land) is a two month extension is the only thing that would pass.
Ignore that fact all you want cons but it is the truth.
Kamchak
December 21st, 2011
11:46 am
USinUK
Is Dara O’Briain the guy you posted a youtube link of last year?
Jm
December 21st, 2011
11:46 am
Doom
I think so
His previous name was Trotsky, after all
getalife
December 21st, 2011
11:48 am
jm and doomy,
Talk about the issues cons not other people.
Matti's Observant Eye
December 21st, 2011
11:48 am
Thulsa,
You don’t think we should blame the House for the fact that more tax money will be removed from my paycheck next month, even though my millionaire Congressman fought long, hard, & nasty to keep his own tax cut from expiring? Okay, I’ll try to see your logic here, but in order to see it, I’ll have to reconcile the GOP House hypocrisy. See, they promised only a year ago:
“We will end the practice of packaging unpopular bills with “must-pass” legislation to circumvent the will of the American people. Instead, we will advance major legislation one issue at a time.”
The reason the Senate didn’t hop all over the House bill was that they broke that promise when they held MY tax rate (but not theirs) hostage in order to insert a favor for their oil-industry buddies. This was also the reason the President gave for promising to veto it. So I ask you, Thulsa Doom: Should I believe the GOP when they make a pledge to me or not? How do YOU rationalize it when they break a promise to you?
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
11:48 am
Thulsa Doom,
“So calling someone by their middle name now constitutes xenophobia. Interesting leap of logic”
Ok…then tell me. Why would one call a person by their middle name, if that person did not go by their middle, it took more effort to write and was less precise in terms of to whom one was referring?
Jefferson
December 21st, 2011
11:48 am
The GOP is being played and they are falling for it…
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
11:49 am
“But in all this, has everyone forgotten that UI is about to get cut dramatically ALSO? This is what the R’s REALLY want. People to get cut from the rolls, and not get back on once a deal is made after the fact.”
I know, right??? Three years is far too little time to find work. During the Depression, of course, everyone turned their noses up at jobs no one else would do because it was beneath them – just like now.
Jm
December 21st, 2011
11:49 am
Getalife
Let’s talk about your issues then
They are many
St Simons - we're on Island time
December 21st, 2011
11:51 am
The Republican House’s approval rating falls below the unempl rate
This is where the coast guards put out the flags heheheh
getalife
December 21st, 2011
11:51 am
jm,
I do have a issue with cons and I am writing a book called La La land.
getalife
December 21st, 2011
11:53 am
“During the Depression, of course, everyone turned their noses up at jobs no one else would do because it was beneath them – just like now.”
Got a link con?
josef
December 21st, 2011
11:53 am
jewcowboy
Well, Barak just don’t get it, Hillary being no Deborah…
USinUK
December 21st, 2011
11:53 am
“BK and McD’s both fund the MacPAC”
sounds like something Apple would fund …
but then it would wind up being called the iPAC
USinUK
December 21st, 2011
11:55 am
Kam – 11:46 – yep – this guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0thRUS1wUw
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
11:57 am
Talking Head,
“you are encapable of accepting the fact that Obama has flaws. I know Bush had flaws, and thats why I didnt vote for him in 2004. You seem to harbor the idea that if you deflect the critizism from the current president to the former you have dignified him in some way.”
Actually, I’m just trying to figure out why you seem to think Obama is engaging in “dictatorial” ways. What has he done to back up your assertion of “the dictatorial way he runs our country (openly admitting he will circumvent Congress to get his way).”
The one way he can circumvent Congress is through the us of signing statements, yet he has used signing statements nearly 80% less than the previous administration. As far as Executive Orders, he has slightly less than the previous administration at the same time in their tenure. so by 2 measures this administration has circumventing Congress’s will less than the previous.
“I am a firm believer in that history has a way of repeating itself and look to the past for answers, but I’m not blind to the current corruption of today.”
So what is your basis for your comment?
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
11:59 am
josef,
“Of course back when he was born, we still used the term “Christian” name!”
Even if he is a Muslim?
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 21st, 2011
12:00 pm
Matti’s @11:48 am
But they promised him that they would love him forever,
Just like the Nutster promised in his wedding vows all 3 times LOL
Brosephus
December 21st, 2011
12:01 pm
Guess I’ll get me an on topic post…
Seems like the WSJ isn’t the only one wondering aloud about House Republicans..
I was reading some of the conservative columnists at the WaPo, and they’re feeling the same way…
Ed Rogers
I’m the Republican in The Insiders, so I’m not supposed to say “ditto Carter” to my Democratic counterpart.
I try to be a conscientious follower of the news, a clear conservative and mostly a Republican team player. But I’ve lost track of how the GOP defines success on the payroll tax issue. I’ve lost track of the true Republican position; I’ve even lost track of the good we can claim we have done. We seem to have put President Obama in a win-win position. How do we define success or victory now? I’m not asking this question to make a point; I’m asking because I don’t know the answer. [...]
The only people House Republicans have over a barrel are other Republicans. We are even about to make Obama a legitimate tax cutter…
or, there’s Jennifer Rubin’s view
The GOP, if it has not the wherewithal to oppose a payroll tax reduction (When will Congress ever have the nerve to increase it and stem further hemorrhaging of funds available for Social Security? Why not cut the entire tax, according to the Democrats’ logic?), then cut a deal and come back to finish the work in 2012. If the Democrats want another 10 months of payroll tax relief, then Republicans should get something for that (e.g. more cuts, a definitive decision on the pipeline). Just not now. In January.
Then there’s Daniel Horowitz over at RedState.com
This is why, for the last time, I call on House Republicans to pass a clean 12-month extension without any strings attached; no riders, reforms, offsets, and extraneous extensions attached. That will totally put the ball back in the Democrats’ court, forcing them to support or reject the only workable extension plan.
Seems like the House GOP has been snookered into stomping the flaming bag on their doorstep…
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:01 pm
Jeesum Crow…how many grammar and spelling mistake are in my 11.57 post.
That what you get for doing two thing at the same time.
Multi-tasking: Doing two or more tasks at the same time poorly.
Talking Head
December 21st, 2011
12:02 pm
I suprised to see most of the liberal posters here are upset with the possibility of a 2% tax hike in your SS tax. I mean you support those who pass legislation that want tax hikes to pay for a egalitarian society. You support those with the mind set that the government ALLOWS you to keep a certain % of the governments money, and it is never YOUR money.
AmVet - Don't obsess over my monikers!
December 21st, 2011
12:02 pm
http://blogs.ajc.com/mike-luckovich/?cxntlid=sldr
Thulsa Doom
December 21st, 2011
12:03 pm
“when they held MY tax rate (but not theirs) hostage in order to insert a favor for their *oil-industry buddies*”- Matti
Matti,
You make it difficult to respond when you lose all credibility by launching into the hyper rhetoric with nonsense about their “rich oil buddies”.
As for dishonesty and broken promises I recommend you review Obama’s various broken promises. There are way to many to enumerate but here is a link for your review.
Being the fair and open minded person that you are I am certain you will take a half day or so to review his voluminous list of broken promises.
http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2011/12/obamas_trail_of_broken_promises.html
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:03 pm
“Got a link con?”
Not for third graders.
USinUK
December 21st, 2011
12:04 pm
jewcowboy – he’s Muslim??
I thought he was muslin!
Brosephus
December 21st, 2011
12:04 pm
Talking Head
If that 2% tax hike keeps conservatives out of my wallet, then I’ll gladly pay it.
Common Sense
December 21st, 2011
12:04 pm
USinUK
December 21st, 2011
10:08 am
That article is from Dec. 15, 2010, NOT 2011. What earmarks are you saying is in the current non-negotiated bill we are all upset about? Sorry if this was discovered but I skipped several pages of comments, so I might be late to the table.
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 21st, 2011
12:05 pm
Bro – did all the pols get the full TSA treatment when they returned home.
By that I mean the full on OVER the BARREL cavity search
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:06 pm
Strawman,
“During the Depression, of course, everyone turned their noses up at jobs no one else would do because it was beneath them – just like now.”
The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts 4 applicants for every job opening. In a healthy economy the ration is 1:1. People aren’t turning down jobs…there are not enough jobs to go around. Your statement is, well, malarkey.
Thulsa Doom
December 21st, 2011
12:06 pm
“Ok…then tell me. Why would one call a person by their middle name, if that person did not go by their middle, it took more effort to write and was less precise in terms of to whom one was referring?”
Jewcowboy,
Perhaps he just likes the name. Personally I like it so much that I just may start calling Barry Hussein. I like the elegance of the name and the way it just rolls off the tongue. Hussein! Hussein! Hussein! What a mighty fine name indeed.
getalife
December 21st, 2011
12:07 pm
““Got a link con?”
Not for third graders.”
Just admit the lie con.
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:08 pm
USinUK,
“I thought he was muslin!”
Better muslin than muesli.
josef
December 21st, 2011
12:08 pm
USinUK
Nyanh…his muslin comes in on his Mama’s side…
Talking Head
December 21st, 2011
12:09 pm
“If that 2% tax hike keeps conservatives out of my wallet, then I’ll gladly pay it.”
Translation: I am a cult disciple of the Democratic party, what is thy bidding my master.
say it ain't so....
December 21st, 2011
12:09 pm
I’ll agree with you that the rejection of this bill is a republican blunder and p.r. disaster but Jay, did you read the entire wall street article or just picked what you wanted out of it. the entire article slams the tax extenstion as bad policy, called it a stupid bill btw. those clowns in wash d.c. have no clue on basic economic policies. the bill was a bad deal and companies like adp (which manage payrolls) said the bill stunk too….
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:09 pm
““Got a link con?”
Not for third graders.”
“Just admit the lie con.”
My only question is: how long have you been held back? Ten years? Twelve?
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:09 pm
Thulsa Doom,
“Perhaps he just likes the name.”
I’ve no doubt.
getalife
December 21st, 2011
12:11 pm
There is a opportunity for you cons to disband the whig party again to start a new party that represents you instead of just the 1 %.
I doubt you will take this opportunity for change.
Welcome to the Occupation
December 21st, 2011
12:11 pm
Conservativism is the checkmate on the little man of the intellectual/spiritual world.
Conservativism is the gnashed teeth and shaking fist of the little man doubling down on his own resentment.
getalife
December 21st, 2011
12:12 pm
straw,
Sore lose much?
Just admit you lied.
Man up son.
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 21st, 2011
12:12 pm
JCB – not everyone is capable of doing heavy construction for minimum wage, just the Advil alone would eat up their wages.
The loss of middle class and manufacturing jobs is what has created this economic crisis. It goes back to NAFTA(Bush-Clinton) MFN for China (Clinton) and the at will offshoring of these jobs.
Bush did not and would not put and end to the uneven trade with China or end H1b visas (that were no longer needed) but instead gave a free pass to big business that have gutted the US economy while at the same time lowering their taxes.
Thulsa Doom
December 21st, 2011
12:12 pm
“People aren’t turning down jobs…there are not enough jobs to go around. Your statement is, well, malarkey.”- jewcowboy
Hmmm. Kinda interesting that people that can’t even speak English and have virtually no education can make it 3,000 miles to here in Georgia from central America and find a job but regular Americans can’t. Somehow or another these uneducated, non English speaking people keep finding these elusive jobs at restaurants, poultry plants and carpet mills, meatpacking plants, construction related jobs, and crop harvesting.
Aint that just amazing that poor people with no education and no English speaking skills can find jobs that Americans can’t?
They BOTh suck
December 21st, 2011
12:12 pm
Jewcowboy and TD
Good afternoon
I hope he likes the name because the probability that he will be saying it for the next 5 yrs is increasing as time goes by
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:13 pm
“…but Jay, did you read the entire wall street article or just picked what you wanted out of it?”
He’s referencing Thelma and Louise and you have to ask? Didn’t you learn in Rhetoric 101 that all sound and cogent arguments begin with a dubious allusion to a third rate movie? Come on! Of course he read the whole article!!!
USinUK
December 21st, 2011
12:14 pm
Aint that just amazing that poor people with no education and no English speaking skills can find jobs that Americans can’t?
don’t forget to mention the “for little to no pay” part
They BOTh suck
December 21st, 2011
12:14 pm
TD
Are you saying that we went from 5.0 or so unemployment to what we have now just because people became lazy?
yes there are lazy people out there but not in the numbers you would like to believe
say it ain't so....
December 21st, 2011
12:15 pm
lol strawman, that’s funny
but my point was that companies like adp said the new extension would be too hard to empliment and possibly cause companies to violate tax laws…. the bill sucked….if they were going to pass a true extension, it should have been for a year with no strings attached to the tax holiday….
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:16 pm
“Aint that just amazing that poor people with no education and no English speaking skills can find jobs that Americans can’t?”
Truly, it is a mystery. Until one considers things like attitude and desire and, of course, not having alternate sources of income (like three years of unemployment insurance).
Brosephus
December 21st, 2011
12:17 pm
NoCom
One can only hope.
I’m sure there’s probably some who shied away from TSA, especially after wanting to remove the name “officer” from their job title. Why America puts up with such jackassery, I’ll never understand.
AmVet - Don't obsess over my monikers!
December 21st, 2011
12:17 pm
The worst part of this, and the part that really steams me, is how these lazy, parasitic veterans, with no job skills are increasing the unemployment rate…
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 21st, 2011
12:18 pm
I may be wrong but 99 weeks of UI isn’t 3 years is it?
getalife
December 21st, 2011
12:18 pm
cons can’t even admit they lied when called out on their lies.
Challenge their every word because they do not live in the real world.
They have regressed to children putting their fat fingers in their ears and saying la la la la la la la to not hear the truth.
Sad and pathetic but true.
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:18 pm
“…if they were going to pass a true extension, it should have been for a year with no strings attached to the tax holiday….”
You will get no argument from me. NO bills, in my opinion, should be created with “strings attached.” THAT is perhaps the principal issue with deadlock in Congress.
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:19 pm
Thulsa Doom,
“Kinda interesting that people that can’t even speak English and have virtually no education can make it 3,000 miles to here in Georgia from central America and find a job but regular Americans can’t”
Kinda interesting…but false: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/07/06/world/americas/immigration.html?scp=2&sq=Mexico%20and%20border%20and%20immigration&st=cse
The other thing that is kinda interesting is that gas is is averaging $3.21 a gallon and most of the unemployed live in either suburban or urban areas not rural areas. Not a lot of agricultural work going on in Marietta or Riverdale.
The real question is what happened to all those jobs the Republicans promised in 2010? How many jobs bills have the Republicans passed?
godless heathen
December 21st, 2011
12:20 pm
jewcowboy: “People aren’t turning down jobs…there are not enough jobs to go around. Your statement is, well, malarkey.”
From our very own Jay Bookman, June 2011. “Thanks to the resulting labor shortage, Georgia farmers have been forced to leave millions of dollars’ worth of blueberries, onions, melons and other crops unharvested and rotting in the fields.”
A problem we didn’t have during the Great Depression.
Matti's Observant Eye
December 21st, 2011
12:20 pm
Thulsa,
It seems you’re either too embarrassed to answer my question, or you just don’t know the answer. No biggie.
I hold my Congressman accountable because (a) his job is to represent the people of this district directly, and (b) my responsibility as a citizen is to hold him accountable for every little thing he does in that capacity. I try to hold our Senators accountable, but they represent the entire state (in theory), and care even less about lil’ ol’ me than my Congressman. It’s the President’s job to sign or veto the bill, not determine the contents. I guess you missed class that week in fourth grade when the teacher explained how this works, huh? Bless your heart (like, if you had one.)
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:21 pm
They BOTh suck,
“I hope he likes the name because the probability that he will be saying it for the next 5 yrs is increasing as time goes by”
And the GOP is helping that come to fruition.
Talking Head
December 21st, 2011
12:22 pm
“The real question is what happened to all those jobs the Republicans promised in 2010? How many jobs bills have the Republicans passed?”
Republicans have created or saved 5,345,911 jobs just by defeating the Dems in 2010 elections.
say it ain't so....
December 21st, 2011
12:22 pm
agreed strawman, strings attached bills do screw things up, so do politicans who legislate for their own personal benefit, both parties guilty……very guilty….
getalife
December 21st, 2011
12:23 pm
th,
How many jobs did w lose?
USinUK
December 21st, 2011
12:23 pm
“Republicans have created or saved 5,345,911 jobs just by defeating the Dems in 2010 elections.”
oh, my – we seem to have entered into the Unicorns-pooping-Skittles territory again …
larry
December 21st, 2011
12:23 pm
Kinda interesting that people that can’t even speak English and have virtually no education can make it 3,000 miles to here in Georgia from central America and find a job but regular Americans can’t”
Did you ever think that those are the type of people employers are looking for?
Had a person tell me that the local chicken hatchery would not hire him because he was over qualified.
Talking Head
December 21st, 2011
12:24 pm
“How many jobs did w lose?”
Well he ‘lost’ his job and those in his administration…then adding that to Obama/Pelosi/Democrat math…your guess is as good as anyones, how about anywhere from 1 to infinity, your call.
getalife
December 21st, 2011
12:26 pm
th,
Deflect.
How many jobs have been recovered from w’s collapse?
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:26 pm
“The Bureau of Labor Statistics puts 4 applicants for every job opening. In a healthy economy the ration is 1:1. People aren’t turning down jobs…there are not enough jobs to go around. Your statement is, well, malarkey.”
Whoever said the economy is healthy? The point was a sarcastic one (in case you didn’t pick up on that) implying that a not miniscule portion of those on the unemployment rolls could find work if they were willing to do things they were “over qualified” to do. My parents grew up in the depression so people like them have better perspective on how things were like than you or me. The movie Cinderella Man captures the hunger people had to work back then. I don’t get that sense now.
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:28 pm
Common Sense,isn’t very Common,
“not everyone is capable of doing heavy construction for minimum wage, just the Advil alone would eat up their wages.”
You mean we can’t put everyone in a field to pick soybeans and cotton for $8 an hour? Sometimes I think the GOP us to go back to a time when “There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called The Old South…Here in this pretty world Gallantry took its last bow…Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their ladies fair, of Master and of Slave…”
Talking Head
December 21st, 2011
12:29 pm
“How many jobs have been recovered from w’s collapse?”
Once again, using Obama/Pelosi/Democrat math anywhere between 1 and infinity, your call.
MPercy
December 21st, 2011
12:29 pm
What I want to know is why no one seems to be talking about how the FICA tax cut is simply defunding Social Security at a time when SS outlays exceed revenues for the first time in 2010, but appears to be in deficit for years to come.
“Social Security expenditures exceeded the program’s non-interest income in 2010 for the first time since 1983. The $49 billion deficit last year (excluding interest income) and $46 billion projected deficit in 2011 are in large part due to the weakened economy and to downward income adjustments that correct for excess payroll tax revenue credited to the trust funds in earlier years. This deficit is expected to shrink to about $20 billion for years 2012-2014 as the economy strengthens. After 2014, cash deficits are expected to grow rapidly as the number of beneficiaries continues to grow at a substantially faster rate than the number of covered workers. Through 2022, the annual cash deficits will be made up by redeeming trust fund assets from the General Fund of the Treasury. Because these redemptions will be less than interest earnings, trust fund balances will continue to grow. After 2022, trust fund assets will be redeemed in amounts that exceed interest earnings until trust fund reserves are exhausted in 2036, one year earlier than was projected last year. Thereafter, tax income would be sufficient to pay only about three-quarters of scheduled benefits through 2085.” [www.ssa.gov] Trustees Report
Solvency of SS was on everyone’s lips a few years ago, we knew it was headed into the toilet, but Obama’s bright idea is to reduce SS taxes (revenues)? Bright idea for him, because he’s trying to turn SS into yet another welfare entitlement by removing even the shroud it had helping it masquerade as something other than a Ponzi scheme. As it is, in 2010 there were 34.9M tax units (of 153.5M) with “Zero or Negative Sum of Income and Payroll Taxes” representing 22.8% of all tax units paying nothing in combined income and payroll taxes–they are free-riding on general revenue-funded America as well as SS.
getalife
December 21st, 2011
12:30 pm
You unemployed cons should back up your bs and go help the farmers instead of blaming the American people for your collapse.
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:30 pm
AmVet,
“the part that really steams me, is how these lazy, parasitic veterans, with no job skills are increasing the unemployment rate…”
That and their socialized medical care.
USinUK
December 21st, 2011
12:30 pm
jewcowboy – 12:28 – they’s the forman at Tara – they’ll tell us when it’s quittin’ time!!!!
(don’t be surprised when they don’t say “quittin time” … ever)
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:30 pm
“…agreed strawman, strings attached bills do screw things up, so do politicans who legislate for their own personal benefit, both parties guilty……very guilty….”
Are we…related? I mean, so like minded on this question..
Welcome to the Occupation
December 21st, 2011
12:31 pm
The totality of the conservative strategy : deal in vague insinuations to exploit the ignorance of low information voters.
The core of conservative ideology: cynicism an little-man-ism.
AmVet - Don't obsess over my monikers!
December 21st, 2011
12:32 pm
Kudos, Head.
Although I constantly see the handiwork here from those who own copies of the Republican Dictionary of Made Up Definitions, it is a rare that I see examples from the companion tome, the Republican Book of Fabricated Mathematics.
Perhaps some quotes from GOP Science in the Era of Global Cooling, are in order?
getalife
December 21st, 2011
12:32 pm
th,
At the rate the economy is slowly growing, how long until we recover all the jobs w lost?
A decade?
Try to grow up and answer these simple questions con.
I know you can’t.
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:32 pm
USinUK,
“oh, my – we seem to have entered into the Unicorns-pooping-Skittles territory again …”
Keep Up the Good Fight!
December 21st, 2011
12:33 pm
jcb, you are not suggesting that the Economics 101 would suggest that unemployed people may not have the money to get to a job in a remote location and even if they did, it may not be a wise economic use of their money if they spend more than they would earn (not including opportunity costs)…… why you would think that even anyone who claimed to have even looked at a Economic syllabus would comprehend that simple reality….. I wonder if the hate and nonsense is somehow distorting rational thought for these wingnuts.
Why basic Economics 101 would say that if these jobs are not being filled, then them there job creators will raise the wage to attract workers absent other factors. Surely there must be someone on the right who can work out these basic Economic matters.
Matti's Observant Eye
December 21st, 2011
12:34 pm
The movie Cinderella Man captures the hunger people had to work back then. I don’t get that sense now.
That’s probably because directors and expensive camera & production crews aren’t venturing in great numbers to where the truly hungry, destitute people ARE, and creating slickly-edited pieces on poverty that will garner boatloads of advertising dollars. You’re right, though. There are some people doing extremely well in this economy, taking advantage of the bargains they can get on homes and other formerly-expensive retail items, making profits on the low, low labor costs they get overseas, as well as the special attention they get from their GOP Congressmen regarding their fair tax burden. For some Americans, LIFE IS GREAT!
TaxPayer
December 21st, 2011
12:34 pm
What I want to know is why no one seems to be talking about how the FICA tax cut is simply defunding Social Security at a time when SS outlays exceed revenues for the first time in 2010, but appears to be in deficit for years to come.
Because any good Republican knows that you have to cut taxes in order to increase tax revenues.
Butch Cassidy
December 21st, 2011
12:35 pm
So elected Republicans don’t even support other elected Republicans, but by electing a Republican, the country is going to be saved? Riiiiiiiight.
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 21st, 2011
12:35 pm
And for all the lawbreakers out there (the small businesses that hire illegal immigrants( e-verify is the LAW)
Jm
December 21st, 2011
12:36 pm
Usinuk
. True
Getalife. Sounds like an autobiography
josef
December 21st, 2011
12:36 pm
jewcowboy
There was a land of Cavaliers and Cotton Fields called The Old South…Here in this pretty world Gallantry took its last bow…Here was the last ever to be seen of Knights and their ladies fair, of Master and of Slave…”
Who said that?
Thulsa Doom
December 21st, 2011
12:38 pm
jewcowboy,
Otay. I gotcha. So there is noooooo more illegal immigration. None at all. At least according to one article anyway. Better call the border patrol and tell them to stand down. No one is coming over. No one.
You are right in one sense though. A lot of illegals have indeed returned home due to anti-immigraion laws and the economic downturn.
The funny thing about the Obama economy if you are correct is that Obama succeeded grandly where W failed miserably. By making the U.S. economy so abysmal Obama has single handedly solved the immigration problem. Bravo Obama! Pigeon clap!
“The real question is what happened to all those jobs the Republicans promised in 2010? How many jobs bills have the Republicans passed?”- jewcowboy
jewcowboy,
Don’t worry. Doomy is here to help you out with the facts sir. Since 8/23/10 372 passed house bills have died in the Dem controlled senate. Depending on who you listen to 15 to 24 of those bills were jobs bills. Hard to pass a jobs bill when Harry Reid and the Dem led senate, which also hadn’t passed a budget in a couple of years, simply let them die.
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:40 pm
Strawman,
“Whoever said the economy is healthy?”
Not I, since the ratio of applicants to jobs is 4:1, rather than 1:1.
“implying that a not miniscule portion of those on the unemployment rolls could find work if they were willing to do things they were “over qualified” to do”
I think you are overlooking the millions who are already doing that…and many cases cobbling together multiple jobs to make ends meet.
The bottom line is the monthly UI benefit is about $1000. Now I don’t know about you, but $1000 a month doesn’t really afford a luxurious or even comfortable existence considering the average 1 bedroom apt in Atlanta rents for $737.
“captures the hunger people had to work back then”
Heaven forbid we actually expect a better life than what those 80 years ago had to deal with.
HDB
December 21st, 2011
12:40 pm
Common Sense isn’t very Common
December 21st, 2011
12:18 pm
I may be wrong but 99 weeks of UI isn’t 3 years is it?
Nope…it’s 5 weeks short of 2 years!!!
Thulsa Doom
December 21st, 2011
12:40 pm
jewcowboy,
I almost forgot. Here’s the linkee to all those passed house bills including jobs bills that simply died in the senate. You can thank Harry Reid for joining Obama in an all out assault on the American economy.
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/83057-290-bills
Bruno
December 21st, 2011
12:41 pm
Alright, deadbeats, back to work!!
For PlatinumBlack:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leWCaedO6Mg
Common Sense isn't very Common
December 21st, 2011
12:42 pm
TD – and how many of those ‘jobs’ bills had 2000 pages of rides and earmarks on them?
And what about the promise from the Republicans for no riders on ‘important’ legislation?
Oh wait, I get it JOBS aren’t important to them.
They BOTh suck
December 21st, 2011
12:42 pm
TD
You post link of the bills that “died” but no links to the bills that died to due to filibuster from the Republicans
Lets be “fair and balanced”……… right?
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:44 pm
“That’s probably because directors and expensive camera & production crews aren’t venturing in great numbers to where the truly hungry, destitute people ARE, and creating slickly-edited pieces on poverty that will garner boatloads of advertising dollars.”
Doh! Why didn’t I think of that? What was I thinking, anyway – that there a number of people (NOT all) milking the system rather than working hard to find work? Thanks for SO forcefully convincing me of my error. I am in your debt.
Matti's Observant Eye
December 21st, 2011
12:45 pm
Thulsa,
In that list of jobs bills that the house passed this year that died in the Senate, did you look to see how many of them violated the promises they made in their 2010 Pledge to America, specifically the one on page 33 about advancing legislation one issue at a time?
Or are you still hoping Americans will simply forget about this if you continue to ignore, deflect, and do the “lalalala I cant hear you!” schtick?
HDB
December 21st, 2011
12:46 pm
josef
December 21st, 2011
12:36 pm
Margaret Mitchell…..”Gone With the Wind”
Bruno
December 21st, 2011
12:47 pm
What I want to know is why no one seems to be talking about how the FICA tax cut is simply defunding Social Security at a time when SS outlays exceed revenues for the first time in 2010, but appears to be in deficit for years to come.
MPercy–I attempted to bring up the same point a few weeks ago and was met with total silence from the Lefties here. The best that I can figure is that the truth is now secondary to proving that the Republicans are evil incarnate.
Strawman
December 21st, 2011
12:48 pm
“The bottom line is the monthly UI benefit is about $1000. Now I don’t know about you, but $1000 a month doesn’t really afford a luxurious or even comfortable existence considering the average 1 bedroom apt in Atlanta rents for $737.”
Of course that assumes everyone is on there own and not, say, living with their parents (did you know that the majority of “poor” people in America are young?)…
“Heaven forbid we actually expect a better life than what those 80 years ago had to deal with.”
There are expectations and then there is reality. I personally wish everyone a good life and have done a lot to help others in need.
josef
December 21st, 2011
12:48 pm
HDB
Nope.
Matti's Observant Eye
December 21st, 2011
12:49 pm
Strawman,
I wasn’t trying to give you a hard time. I thought Cinderalla Man was an awesome movie that powerfully portrayed the widespread hunger and destitution of that era. My point was simply that we don’t SEE the effects of today’s poverty the same way, because our 99 TV channels are piping in all manner of other things into our living rooms. You’re right that today’s poverty is different. Also, there are people who still manage to keep their homes and cars, but have little money left over for food or medicine. It’s not in our faces, but it’s there.
Peter
December 21st, 2011
12:50 pm
Great statement……. I didn’t think it was possible to top the stupidity of the 2008 election.
Yes you can……… Palin can run for President !
The GOP is so funny these days coming apart at the seams !
jewcowboy
December 21st, 2011
12:50 pm
Keep Up the Good Fight!,
“you are not suggesting that the Economics 101 would suggest that unemployed people may not have the money to get to a job in a remote location and even if they did, it may not be a wise economic use of their money if they spend more than they would earn”
I know…crazy thoughts.
$8 an hour x 8 hours – 20% taxes = $51.20
150 miles / 22mpg x $3.21 a gallon + $0.48 per mile wear and tear(AAA) = $26.68
Take home with no meals = $24.52 per day…for 8 hours of work and at least 2 hours of driving.
$24.52 x 30 days = $735.60
So to be away from home 10 hours a day and work in a field the average unemployed Atlantan would just be able to pay for their average apt.
Brilliant.
HDB
December 21st, 2011
12:50 pm
Thulsa Doom
December 21st, 2011
12:40 pm
Question: How many of those bills were “clean”…..or how many had somethiong “extra” attached to them that countered a regulation that Republicans didn’t like….like the Clean Air Act????
Really want to know………