Quote :

"Suddenly, once Obama took over the wars, the anti-war left stopped caring."

untrue.

i'm an anti-war leftist and i won't be voting for Obama again.

the problem is, there never was a substantial anti-war movement to begin with. there was no voice before the 08 election, so the silence you continue to hear today shouldn't be a surprise.

7/15/2011 6:01:48 PM

What did you expect him to do, immediately bring everyone home and let those areas descend into chaos? How would that have solved anything? Say what you will about Libya but that action was far from unilateral.

Hell, as a (social) liberal I'd be fine with invading Mexico and doing the job that their government refuses to do. THAT is a clear and viable threat to our national security.

7/15/2011 6:06:53 PM

I don't disagree that for the most part, no politicians have our best interests in mind. But in this case, it's so blindingly obvious that one side cares significantly less about the average american than the other side, and the proof is in their actions.Prawn Star even sort of admits it by calling it a trivial issue. While I disagree that 5% is a "drop in the bucket", even still, Republicans are willing to risk an economic catastrophe by drawing the line in the sand over this "trivial" issue. They even signed a fucking petition to that effect, as if they were a bunch of pissed off kids on SA complaining about something Microsoft is doing.

The fact is that their won't be a new deal. It took them long enough to draft the one that's on the table now and a new one is simply not going to materialize in 2 weeks. Republicans either take this deal which ends the tax cuts on the rich, or they don't and we default on our debt. It's as simple as that. You can argue until you're blue in the face that Democrats are fucking up just as bad, but they aren't the ones who are willing to let the economy collapse because they'd rather take away grandma's healthcare instead of Donald Trump's private jet. You can't look at that reality and tell me both sides are the same.

And for the record, the progressive tax plan that calls for more than just revoking the Bush era tax cuts on the rich increases revenue by $2.8 trillion, and was noted as about the only plan that makes any kind of sense by economists (meaning that of course it was soundly rejected by congress).

[Edited on July 15, 2011 at 6:31 PM. Reason : :]

7/15/2011 6:07:23 PM

Quote :

"the problem is, there never was a substantial anti-war movement to begin with. there was no voice before the 08 election, so the silence you continue to hear today shouldn't be a surprise."

The loudest voice now is coming from what you would probably consider "the right," though most libertarians reject the manufactured "left vs right" paradigm.

Quote :

"What did you expect him to do, immediately bring everyone home and let those areas descend into chaos? How would that have solved anything? Say what you will about Libya but that action was far from unilateral."

Oh, I didn't expect that. I knew he'd be a repeat of Bush. But, yes, he should have immediately started drawing down troops. That's how serious our situation is.

Quote :

"Hell, as a (social) liberal I'd be fine with invading Mexico and doing the job that their government refuses to do. THAT is a clear and viable threat to our national security."

That's...kind of disturbing, man. Our drug policies here result in drug cartels going nuts in Mexico and Latin America. The violence there is a negative externality of U.S. prohibition. We don't have to invade Mexico to help them out.

Quote :

"I don't disagree that for the most part, no politicians have our best interests in mind. But in this case, it's so blindingly obvious that one side cares significantly less about the average american than the other side, and the proof is in their actions.Prawn Star even sort of admits it by calling it a trivial issue. While I disagree that 5% is a "drop in the bucket", even still, Republicans are willing to risk an economic catastrophe by drawing the line in the sand over this "trivial" issue. They even signed a fucking petition to that effect, as if they were a bunch of pissed off kids on SA complaining about something Microsoft is doing."

Economic catastrophe has been in the works for a while. If we don't raise the debt ceiling, it comes a lot sooner. If we do raise the debt ceiling, we put it off for a while, but it'll be that much worse.

TLDR: The standard of living in this country will continue to drop. Things are going to get worse before they get better. Want to blame someone? Blame cowardly politicians that couldn't be bothered to balance the budget. Blame the people for going into a nationalistic frenzy and thinking that we could cut taxes and go to war to "spread democracy." Blame the fucking baby boomers for leaving our generation out to dry, then throwing a pity party for themselves because they thought they could retire on the backs of future workers. Blame the Federal Reserve for facilitating the whole thing.

7/15/2011 6:21:44 PM

It bears repeating that under W. they raised the debt ceiling 7 times and no one blinked an eye. Mitch Daniels called it "government housekeeping". Not one single wingnut talking head has the cuts to admit this. But now, oh my god, this is the end all be all of last straws. This HAS to be the place to draw the line. The president gave them 83 fucking % of what they wanted and it still wasn't good enough. The republicans should have gotten 33% of what they wanted since that is effectively how much government they control (excluding the supposedly non-partisan Supreme Court). Why in the hell does every god damned thing now have to come down the wire, have lines drawn in the sand, ultimatums given and be such a fucking struggle. Oh that's right, republicans aren't interested in actually governing. They are attempting to follow through with Mitch McConnell's #1 stated goal and that is making Obama a one term president. Not jobs, not the economy, none of it. Just sticking to vindictive petulance to appease their Heritage Foundation overlords.

7/15/2011 6:28:35 PM

Quote :

"Our drug policies here result in drug cartels going nuts in Mexico and Latin America. The violence there is a negative externality of U.S. prohibition."

I agree. But the violence that has spilled over the border causing economic and environmental problems has to be dealt with and their government seems either unwilling or unable to do anything about it. I contend that one of the quickest ways to seriously put the smackdown on the cartels is to legalize at least marijuana.

7/15/2011 6:32:39 PM

Quote :

"IT'S OFFICIAL: The Whole World Thinks Republicans Are Dangerous Maniacs Threatening Everyone Yes, the rest of the world is watching this embarrassing debt ceiling nonsense, and it is growing dismayed. Der Spiegel has a roundup of commentary in German newspapers about the fight, and the universal message is this: The US is holding the entire world hostage, and it's the Republicans that are playing with fire. Hard to accuse the Germans (who are no fans of fiscal profligacy) of being motivated by politics, or of having some inherent reason to attack Republicans. This is just the reality of what they're doing. Here's the passage from Bild, the newspaper of the masses: "Playing poker is part of politics, as is theatrical posturing. That's fair enough. But what America is currently exhibiting is the worst kind of absurd theatrics. And the whole world is being held hostage. "Irrespective of what the correct fiscal and economic policy should be for the most powerful country on earth, it's simply not possible to stop taking on new debt overnight. Most importantly, the Republicans have turned a dispute over a technicality into a religious war, which no longer has any relation to a reasonable dispute between the elected government and the opposition." "If it continues like this, the US will be bankrupt within a few days. It would cause a global shockwave like the one which followed the Lehman bankruptcy in 2008, which triggered the worst economic crisis since the war. Except it would be much worse than the Lehman bankruptcy. The political climate in the US has been poisoned to a degree that is hard for us (Germans) to imagine. But we should all fear the consequences." "

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/its-official-the-whole-world-thinks-republicans-are-dangerous-maniacs-2011-7#ixzz1SEMVmLEu

7/15/2011 10:16:47 PM

Quote :

" RNC maps out White House foul By: CNN's Rebecca Stewart Washington (CNN)-It's never too early to play hardball presidential politics. Republican National Committee Chair Reince Priebus penned a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder asking for an investigation of an "apparent crime" committed by President Barack Obama Monday. According to Priebus, the crime was committed by the president, in the Map Room, with a video. Priebus accused the president of recording a fundraising appeal in the Map Room of the White House. He said it is "not part of the White House residence, but rather 'occupied in the discharge of official duties,'" and called for the Department of Justice to investigate. The Map Room is located on the ground floor of the White House. "According to multiple individuals with knowledge of the White House's rooms and layout, the video appears to have been recorded in the Map Room...the White House Counsel has indicated that the video was filmed somewhere in the residential portion of the White House," Priebus said. It is illegal to solicit contributions for a political purpose from any area of the White House "occupied in the discharge of official duties," or, used for purposes of official White House business. But the Map Room is considered to be part of the White House residence, and has been for decades. The residence is not subject to restrictions placed on rooms used for official business. White House spokesman Eric Schultz told CNN, "As we've said in the past, this was wholly appropriate and routinely done in past administrations." "Many lawyers and experts have all said publicly that what this administration is doing is completely above board," Schultz fired back. Despite the RNC's claims, both Republican and Democratic administrations have considered the Map Room as part of the White House residence."

he's like one of those lame people who call the PGA when they think they've seen a rules violation while watching a tournament on tv

7/19/2011 7:23:12 PM

Quote :

"It bears repeating that under W. they raised the debt ceiling 7 times and no one blinked an eye. Mitch Daniels called it "government housekeeping". Not one single wingnut talking head has the cuts to admit this. But now, oh my god, this is the end all be all of last straws. This HAS to be the place to draw the line. The president gave them 83 fucking % of what they wanted and it still wasn't good enough. The republicans should have gotten 33% of what they wanted since that is effectively how much government they control (excluding the supposedly non-partisan Supreme Court). Why in the hell does every god damned thing now have to come down the wire, have lines drawn in the sand, ultimatums given and be such a fucking struggle. Oh that's right, republicans aren't interested in actually governing. They are attempting to follow through with Mitch McConnell's #1 stated goal and that is making Obama a one term president. Not jobs, not the economy, none of it. Just sticking to vindictive petulance to appease their Heritage Foundation overlords."

So true that it is sickening.

7/19/2011 7:53:53 PM

I think it is relevant though that Obama voted against raising the debt ceiling. He knew it was just posturing then, the republicans are just posturing now, but if Obama is talking about putting social security cuts on the table, they’d be dumb not to jump on that.

7/19/2011 8:17:51 PM

Hopefully they do, but I don't see how they will have enough time for all of that. Let's just hope for the best.

One thing that sucks is that this will all be pin on Obama if it goes sour and no bill is passed, and the republicans would have achieved in sinking his presidency.

7/19/2011 8:57:51 PM

Failing to understand the suckage of that.

7/19/2011 9:27:34 PM

Obama failing equals the country failing equals gramma and grandpa dont get their checks. Why would any american want america to fail?

You are being childishly selfish if that is your serious opinion.

7/19/2011 11:40:30 PM

The thing about the SS checks not going out is mostly a gimic. The gov is going to pay those checks if it means the rest of the country burning down.

It is unprecedented to not raise the ceiling, no one knows what's going to happen.

It's also absurd to have a ceiling that you just ignore. It's even further absurd to look at our situation and rule out progressive tax hikes as a component of the solution.

If we shut down the federal gov and devoted 100% of taxes to the debt, it would still take more than 10 years to pay it off, assuming the country doesn't crumble.

7/19/2011 11:46:47 PM

Yeah that sounds right.

I just think that it is absurd that the conservatives are all about wanting Obama to fail because he wants to put tax dollars to healthcare and social programs, whereas Bush put tax dollars to an expensive war that we didn't even need... and that's alright.

What bothers me EVEN MORE is that all conservatives worry about is some black welfare mama taking all of their tax dollars, when the reality is that everyday they will encounter a hard working american that is cheated out of health care by their companies. WAKE UP young conservatives: the shit that your parents preached to you is incredibly racists. Black people weren't the only ones buying houses that they couldn't afford. And black people aren't the only ones that need healthcare.

/rant

[Edited on July 20, 2011 at 12:17 AM. Reason : jh]

7/20/2011 12:16:11 AM

7/20/2011 2:06:38 AM

Quote :

"Failing to understand the suckage of that."

Wow.

Of course, making Obama look bad is the entire basis of Mitch McConnell's plan.

7/20/2011 6:10:58 PM

Boehner is essentially the president because the house is calling all the shots. I've only payed attention to politics for 10 years but it seems unprecedented for the house to consistently be the ones calling the shots and saying "you have to take what we want" and not willing to budge at all.

7/21/2011 11:35:28 AM

The Teavangelicals are at it again!

Tea Party Hates Manatees, Says Protecting Them Is "Against the Bible"

Quote :

"Jesus apparently hated manatees, according to a new Tea Party platform circulating around Florida. Originating from the Citrus County Tea Party Patriots group, teabaggers are crying about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's intent to place restrictions against boating and other things near the city of Crystal River -- and now they're trying to get all Florida Tea Partiers to ask congress to block the wildlife service, according to the St. Petersburg Times. And why would they be trying to do this? Because protecting animals like manatees is against the Bible and the Bill of Rights, according to one Tea Party leader. "We cannot elevate nature above people," Citrus County Tea Party Patriots leader Edna Mattos told the paper. "That's against the Bible and the Bill of Rights." Preparing for the reality of bowing down to our new manatee overlords, Mattos tells the paper that if animal-loving hippies would've been around in the days of dinosaurs, we'd all be living in a movie starring Jeff Goldblum right now. "If some of these environmental movements had been around in the days of the dinosaurs, we'd be living in Jurassic Park now," Mattos told the paper. Thank goodness the Tea Party is here to prevent us all from becoming manatee food. Of course, what Tea Party talking point would be any good without a conspiracy theory about the United Nations? The St. Pete Times has the answer to that: Current regulations have helped boost the manatee population from 100 to 500, so clearly they're sufficient, Mattos said. In fact, in her view, the manatee rules tie in to global development issues. "We believe that (federal regulators') aim is to control the fish and wildlife, in addition to the use of the land that surrounds this area, and the people that live here and visit. ... As most of us know, this all ties in to the United Nations' Agenda 21 and Sustainability." Agenda 21 is a program, adopted by the U.N. in 1992, to encourage countries around the world to promote only development that does not harm nature. Pundit Glenn Beck and other conservatives have attacked it as an attempt to impose world government's rules on every aspect of American lives. The Citrus County tea party group's website says Agenda 21 is "designed to make humans into livestock.""

http://blogs.browardpalmbeach.com/pulp/2011/07/tea_party_manatees_against_bible_jurassic_park.php

I so want to believe that this is an onion-ish site and that this article is satire. Sadly, having seen the Teavangelicals in action this isn't too hard to fathom.

[Edited on July 21, 2011 at 3:31 PM. Reason : .]

7/21/2011 3:30:42 PM

they also really hate science and facts:

Quote :

"Rick Perry Asked Why More Kids Are Getting Pregnant in Texas Texas Governor Rick Perry is toying with a run for president. Perry is a skilled politician and has never lost an election, but he has taken an increasingly antiscience turn in his approach to governing. On global warming he now says that the leading source of "supposedly deadly carbon dioxide" is the mouth of Al Gore. On education he has appointed creationists to lead the Texas State Board of Education. And on the issue of sex ed in Texas, Perry has taken governing positions that affect millions of children based on his own personal opinions, even when those opinions are overwhelmingly contradicted by the evidence. Texas lawmakers cut sex ed from two six-month courses to a single unit of "abstinence only" education. But early indications showed that the program wasn't working. In fact, teens in almost all high school grades were having more sex after undergoing the abstinence only program. By 2007, Texas had the highest teen birth rate in the nation. Nevertheless, the program continued. By 2009, 94 percent of Texas schools, which at the time were educating more than 3.7 million students, were giving no sex ed whatsoever beyond "abstinence only," a curriculum that includes emphasizing that birth control doesn't work. Instead of providing fact-based information, the programs use fear and Jesus -- over-emphasizing the risks of sexually transmitted diseases leading to cervical cancer, radical hysterectomy and death, together with Christian morality. One Texas public school district's sex ed handout is entitled "Things to Look for in a Mate:" I. How they relate to God A. Is Jesus their first love? B. Trying to impress people or serve God? Another public school district uses this: Question: "What does the Bible say about sex before marriage/premarital sex?" Answer: Along with all other kinds of sexual immorality, sex before marriage/premarital sex is repeatedly condemned in Scripture (Acts 15:20; Romans 1:29; 1 Corinthians 5:1; 6:13,18; 7:2; 10:8; 2 Corinthians 12:21; Galatians 5:19; Ephesians 5:3; Colossians 3:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:3; Jude 7). The results? Teen pregnancy in Texas went up -- higher than before "abstinence only," and more than 50 percent higher than the national average. Even more troubling was that repeat teen pregnancy went up -- to the point that it, too, led the nation. It turns out that Texas kids thought that "if birth control doesn't work, why use it?" It's also extremely tough for teenagers to get contraceptives in Texas. "If you are a kid, even in college, if it's state-funded you have to have parental consent," said Susan Tortolero, director of the Prevention Research Center at the University of Texas in Houston. But none of this seems to matter to Gov. Rick Perry. When confronted with the dismal statistics during an October 15, 2010 televised interview with Texas Tribune reporter Evan Smith, Perry's response was to reaffirm that "abstinence works." The audience laughed and Smith pointed out the state's abysmal teen pregnancy rate. "It works," insisted Perry. "Maybe it's the way it's being taught, or the way it's being applied out there, but the fact of the matter is it is the best form of -- uh -- to teach our children." Smith asked for a statistic to suggest it works, and Perry replied that "I'm just going to tell you from my own personal life, abstinence works." Perry could be a good leader. But the United States faces mounting challenges around science policy issues ranging from energy and climate change to ocean health to science education and American economic competitiveness. Perry's willingness to base policies that affect millions of children on his personal opinions even when they are contradicted by overwhelming evidence suggests a governing style that would not be constructive for dealing in reality when tackling America's complex problems. If Perry continues his campaign for president, he should renounce his past antiscience positions and pledge to make governing decisions based on the best available science. Shawn Lawrence Otto is author of Fool Me Twice: Fighting the Assault on Science in America. Find him on Facebook."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/shawn-lawrence-otto/rick-perry-abstinence_b_904115.html

[Edited on July 21, 2011 at 3:41 PM. Reason : whoops]

7/21/2011 3:38:51 PM

^ how did they get away with referencing those bible scriptures/jesus into the public education curriculum without facing an onslaught of lawsuits?

7/21/2011 4:20:54 PM

Quote :

"God Urges Rick Perry Not To Run For President AUSTIN, TX—Describing Texas Gov. Rick Perry as grossly unqualified for the position, God, the Creator and Ruler of the Universe, urged Perry not to run for president of the United States Wednesday. “I prayed last night and asked the Lord to support my candidacy, and He said no,” Perry told reporters outside the Texas Capitol, explaining that God had cited the governor’s rejection of federal stimulus funds to expand state jobless benefits, his irresponsible speculation about Texas seceding from the union, and his overall lack of concrete solutions to nation’s problems as reasons why He could not endorse a Perry presidential bid. “I believe God made some valid points about my lack of credentials, and He’s absolutely right. My extreme beliefs when it comes to social issues and states’ rights are not only disturbingly narrow-minded, but would also make me a horrible president.” When reached for comment, God said He would not be present at Perry’s much-talked-about Christian day of prayer on Aug. 6, calling the governor’s use of his public office to endorse a religion both “irresponsible” and a violation of the Constitution."

http://www.theonion.com/articles/god-urges-rick-perry-not-to-run-for-president,20981/

7/21/2011 5:04:10 PM

Teen pregnancy is a killer because if you don't make it to college, then you don't have much cred to employers.

It can work out if you go to the military, but besides that it is a huge life crushing mistake.

7/21/2011 5:17:01 PM

Quote :

"I just think that it is absurd that the conservatives are all about wanting Obama to fail because he wants to put tax dollars to healthcare and social programs, whereas Bush put tax dollars to an expensive war that we didn't even need... and that's alright. "

Because there are zero conservatives anywhere that despise what dubya did. yep.

Quote :

"What bothers me EVEN MORE is that all conservatives worry about is some black welfare mama taking all of their tax dollars, when the reality is that everyday they will encounter a hard working american that is cheated out of health care by their companies. "

It's a shame that you can't see how the acts of the government have caused this health-care clusterfuck. Thinking that your employer should have anything to do with your health care options is part of the problem. But nope, it's just racist republicans. yep... When you don't have an argument, play the race card

Quote :

"how did they get away with referencing those bible scriptures/jesus into the public education curriculum without facing an onslaught of lawsuits?"

+1

[Edited on July 21, 2011 at 6:55 PM. Reason : ]

7/21/2011 6:54:02 PM

Quote :

"1. Where is the GOP proposal for jobs? We hear so much about “jobs, jobs, jobs” from the GOP, but the only thing the GOP is putting forward is actually cutting jobs. Maybe that’s what Boehner meant……. 2. Why is your gavel so big? I think we all know the answer to this, but I would love to see someone ask him. 3. Are you afraid of getting skin cancer? He is freakishly orange, as we all know, but as someone who HAS skin cancer… I would love to know how he feels about all his unnatural tanning. 4. Why is it that you are fighting President Obama on the debt ceiling, yet you had no problem raising it under Bush 19 times? I think Mr. Weeper… sorry… Speaker has the notion that the American people have bad memories. I hate to break it to you Mr. Weeper.. Speaker; we don’t. 5. Why do you cry when speaking about your childhood, but not one tear sheds from your eyes when a fellow member of congress is shot in the head? This was beyond deplorable to me and the fact that he didn’t even go to see her is even worse. 6. With all this talk about spending cuts and debt reduction, why is it that no one mentions how much tax dollars you accept in your paycheck? I think it makes sense to even the simple-minded that if we are going to cut spending, we should start with congressional pay. I mean, think about it like a business. These people collect a paycheck, which the American people provide through tax dollars, so we are their boss. When the company (America) is in debt, is it not the employees who take a pay cut? 7. You claim that you came from nothing and as a boy you swept the floor of your father’s bar. Does that not just constitute as a chore? I mean, his dad owned a bar and it was pretty lucrative, probably because he had his family do stuff he normally would have had to pay an employee for. To me, that is not growing up with nothing. 8. Would you consider taking a week off to go live the life of an average American so you can really understand what is going on? I volunteer to be that person. (And I challenge ANY member of congress to do the same.) 9. If our education system is broken, why are you voting to cut education programs that help better the countries educational system? This baffles me. 10. Why are you wasting time on legislation that you know will not get passed the Senate? There have been so many bills that the Senate has told to Mr. Boehner will be DOA (dead-on-arrival), yet he continues to try and push it and waste time and our tax dollars doing it anyway. I chose to ask Mr. Boehner these questions because he is the Speaker of the House and according to him a “leader”. Well, Mr. Boehner, we are all waiting for you to lead."

7/21/2011 7:13:04 PM

oh look, pryderi posts more chain emails. keep up the good work!

Quote :

"1. Where is the GOP proposal for jobs? The government can't really "create jobs," other than government jobs, which are generally worthless. I'm sorry that you are too stupid to think otherwise. 2. Why is your gavel so big? Really? Really... Really? 3. Are you afraid of getting skin cancer? Really? Really... Really? 4. Why is it that you are fighting President Obama on the debt ceiling, yet you had no problem raising it under Bush 19 times? Because he's a partisan douchebag 5. Why do you cry when speaking about your childhood, but not one tear sheds from your eyes when a fellow member of congress is shot in the head? Because we should all react to violence in the exact same way as you. 6. With all this talk about spending cuts and debt reduction, why is it that no one mentions how much tax dollars you accept in your paycheck? Because it's a pittance when compared to everything else? naaaaah 7. You claim that you came from nothing and as a boy you swept the floor of your father’s bar. Does that not just constitute as a chore? What the fuck is he getting at? What does it matter if it was a chore? It still happened. 8. Would you consider taking a week off to go live the life of an average American so you can really understand what is going on? Weasel question. 9. If our education system is broken, why are you voting to cut education programs that help better the countries educational system? This question assumes that said educational programs actually make the country's educational system any better 10. Why are you wasting time on legislation that you know will not get passed the Senate? Because surely they shouldn't try to get anything done at all, right?"

Also, dude should invest in spell check if he wants to be taken seriously

7/21/2011 7:14:59 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/senate-rejects-conservative-budget-proposal-as-obama-boehner-reach-for-grand-bargain/2011/07/22/gIQAzskYTI_story.html

Quote :

"In a letter sent to the nearly 240 House Republicans, Boehner said that, for the second time in two weeks, he had to abandon discussions on his self-proclaimed 'big deal' to try to save between $3 trillion and $4 trillion. He said Obama was 'simply not serious' about cutting entitlement spending unless large tax increases were a part of the deal. 'For these reasons, I have decided to end discussions with the White House and begin conversations with the leaders of the Senate in an effort to find a path forward,' he wrote in the letter to the Republican Conference."

7/22/2011 7:22:49 PM

Quote :

"The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration will halt some operations at midnight after the House of Representatives and Senate adjourned today without agreeing on legislation to extend the agency’s authority. The disagreement means the FAA has to furlough as many as 4,000 workers tomorrow and stop collecting about $200 million a week in airplane-ticket and other taxes until it is resolved, U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said yesterday. Air- traffic controllers, considered essential employees, would remain on the job. Baucus and Senator Lisa Murkowski, an Alaska Republican, today urged their colleagues to back extension legislation without the rural airports language. Republicans blocked that bill, offered by Baucus and Rockefeller, from a floor vote. Democrats then thwarted Republicans’ attempt to bring Mica’s version to a vote. Furloughed employees would include engineers, administrative assistants and computer specialists. Air traffic controllers, considered essential employees, are exempt. "

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-07-22/u-s-house-stops-voting-for-week-with-no-action-to-keep-faa-operating.html

The GOP is responsible for furloughing 4,000 FAA employees and ceasing the collection of $25 million in taxes PER DAY. Why? Because they don't like spending $16.6 million PER YEAR subsidizing rural airports (Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111903461104576462464177336804.html). Even if they do eventually get what they want, this bullshit Tea Party posturing comes out to a net loss to the country after about 4:00 PM tomorrow.

7/22/2011 8:39:50 PM

Quote :

" these Republicans might want to check the record of the conservative icon, former President Ronald Reagan. As Reagan’s first budget director, David Stockman, told Bloomberg News that Reagan did exactly what the Republicans are campaigning against: “That put the lie to the current arguments of Republicans that the economy is too weak to bear a tax increase” because “the next year 3.5 million jobs were created,” said Stockman, who says tax increases are now needed to help reduce the deficit. “When the Republicans rhetorically say now, ‘Who would raise taxes in a recession?’ the answer is Ronald Reagan.” Reagan signed his 1982 tax increase into law in September 1982, even though the early 1980s recession didn’t end until November 1982. Following that tax increase, as former Reagan economic official Bruce Bartlett has pointed out, gross domestic product “grew 4.5 percent in 1983 and 7.2 percent in 1984 – an exceptionally strong performance. The stock market had one of its best years ever in 1983…The unemployment rate fell from 10.6 percent in December 1982 to 8.1 percent by December 1983 and 7.1 percent in December 1984.” According to the Treasury Department, “Reagan’s tax increases now would bring in about $300 billion a year, if the increases were measured against today’s economy.” But today’s Republicans have gone to the mat over preserving tax cuts for millionaires, tax loopholes for corporate jet owners, and tax subsidies for hugely profitable companies."

http://forums.charlotteobserver.com/?q=node/11533

7/26/2011 12:46:58 AM

Quote :

"But today’s Republicans have gone to the mat over preserving tax cuts for millionaires, tax loopholes for corporate jet owners, and tax subsidies for hugely profitable companies."

Funny how Obama says "the time for politics is over" and then engages in disgusting rhetoric like this.

7/26/2011 1:19:19 AM

^The truth hurts.

7/26/2011 1:34:19 AM

i know. Too bad Obama can't apply the truth to himself. now isn't a time for rhetoric, but that's all he's doing. Show me ANYONE who wants the corporate jet loophole. exactly. Obama is just fucking two-faced. "NO MORE RHETORIC" and then he has fucking Timmy boy saying over and over how granny is gonna be cut off.

7/26/2011 1:47:35 AM

you guys are right on obama. hes no better than anyone else really.

7/26/2011 1:48:54 AM

I wonder which one of China's ten year plan's penned America committing economic suicide.

7/26/2011 3:49:41 AM

The republican vs democrat argument is a distraction for the masses. Obama got involved in another war intensified another, spent more than we made, didn't prosecute anybody from the 2007-8 meltdown, pumped out two massive bills so complex they have zero chance of being effective, and had a beer summit. Not all that different from a republican. The fed loaned 16 trillion to US and Foreigh banks and institutions and swapped 1.7 trillion of shitty worthless securities for freshly printed t bills during this time at the drop of a hat. Think of that when you hear the barking about 2 trillion cuts and our 14 trillion debt. Congress goes in to stalemate over raising the debt ceiling by 2 trillion but the Fed can loan 7 trillion to foreign banks no problem. Wonder who controls the fed, who is on the FRBNY board, any bankers? All bankers?? This is the real power in this country and it is totally ignored.

7/26/2011 12:43:04 PM

Most people here don't understand what the Fed does. They've completely bought into the Republican vs. Democrat dog and pony show, and that's what they care about: making sure their team wins.

I'm certain that if people could be bothered to learn about the Federal Reserve, and how it literally creates money and gives it away to the ultra-rich, they would be opposed to it as an institution. Unfortunately, intellectual laziness still reigns supreme.

7/26/2011 1:02:48 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bachmann-benefitted-from-federal-home-loan-program/2011/07/19/gIQAI12raI_story.html

7/26/2011 1:19:16 PM

What's funny about the GOP costing 4,000 people their jobs is that folks were clambering about lower air rates because now taxes couldn't be collected....too bad for them that the airlines jacked up the prices to compensate. GG Teabaggers...

7/26/2011 3:24:11 PM

eh?

Not, "GG you greedy mega-corporation airlines?"

Pull your head out, man.

7/26/2011 3:31:10 PM

You missed the point. 4,000 without jobs and rates aren't lower and I'd even wager that they won't go back down when the FAA does get reauthorized. Why does the GOP/Teabaggers hate Americans?

7/26/2011 3:41:08 PM

*facepalm

Oh please make it stop.

7/26/2011 3:47:16 PM

^^ as for the FAA workers this is a risk you take working for an insolvent government, the risk that one day they will stop kicking the can. Like if I worked for Bank of America and lost my job because they went out of bus. Hopefully they will take this chance to catch up on their sleep.

7/26/2011 8:21:01 PM

Wait so you're saying corporations are only interested in how much profit they can make? No way!

7/26/2011 8:42:10 PM

Quote :

"eh? Not, "GG you greedy mega-corporation airlines?" Pull your head out, man. "

Corporations have a right to profit. Calling them greedy is stupid on your part as no profit center is setup for the public good. If you have a problem with it, take the train or a bus.

7/27/2011 6:03:45 AM

Quote :

"as for the FAA workers this is a risk you take working for an insolvent government, the risk that one day they will stop kicking the can. Like if I worked for Bank of America and lost my job because they went out of bus. Hopefully they will take this chance to catch up on their sleep."

In case you didn't actually read the articles posted, this isn't actually about the government's insolvency. The FAA was shut down over a dispute about a $16 million annual subsidy, but every day the FAA is shut down the government forgoes $25 million in taxes. This was a net loss after 16 hours.

7/27/2011 11:06:08 AM

gg, Boehner, on your awesome plan.

7/27/2011 12:22:53 PM

It's quite funny when you can't even meet the demands that your party came up with. Most people would think that would indicate that thier demands might be too steep, Boehner seems to just think he needs to change the bill, not the demands.

7/27/2011 12:32:14 PM

so evidently Reid has a plan that has more cuts then Boehner. what's up with that?

Quote :

"Reid has a rival proposal would deliver savings of a little more than $2 trillion, a half-trillion less than promised but still more than under Boehner's plan, budget analysts reported. The Senate leader said he'd wait to see what the House does before bringing his plan up for a vote."

http://www.wral.com/news/political/story/9915479/

7/27/2011 1:34:34 PM

The GOP/Teabaggers now want a short-term only approach to the debt ceiling so that they can make it a campaign issue next year. How can you people on the right still support this type of nonsense? Oh that's right, "winners don't compromise!!!1" . . .

7/27/2011 3:05:22 PM

I mean, you've heard it all before. Structural inefficiencies, house of cards, ineffective tax collection mechanism, etc. The system is diseased and designed to funnel money away from regular people to the elite through inflation. Until you take what I've been saying every day to heart, and stop buying into this ridiculous political theater, you're part of the problem.

Let's say we raise the debt ceiling. Then what? "Serious budget talks"? Come on, dude, I'm positive that you know better than that. Politicians want to pass the buck if it's ever possible.

7/27/2011 3:19:20 PM