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Tuesday, May 29, 2012 | 2 a.m.
In this age of teeth-gnashing over the need to sacrifice, to cut entitlements, to cut help for the needy, to tax the working poor and the need to lay off government workers, there is one select group who does not have to join in. That is the top 1 and 2 percent. Why don’t they have to sacrifice? Because the wealthy write all the rules.
Tax codes are designed to benefit the wealthy. Politicians who make the laws are themselves wealthy. If they do not come into office wealthy, they get there quickly. I wonder how? The legal system is written to benefit the wealthy. We are tough on crime, but that only applies to the poor. Wealthy white-collar criminals pay fines and continue to do whatever they were doing.
Corporations are the same as wealthy individuals. Corporations complain about their 35 percent tax rate while the average tax rate for all corporations for 2011 was 12.9 percent, much like Mitt Romney and Warren Buffett. Many corporations pay no income taxes, some get huge refunds from the IRS and some get subsidies in the billions of dollars while making profits in the even larger billions of dollars.
The wealthy individuals and corporations are pouring hundreds of millions of dollars (anonymously, unless you are Sheldon Adelson) into campaigns and super PACs (slush-funds) thanks to the Supreme Court and Citizens United. That should have been called Wealthy United.
Dave,
Your letter is nothing more than a political attack waged and funded by unions against business, tax payers, consumers and freedom-loving Americans. Union dues collected is 2 1/2 times that of CEO pay. The top wage earners earn 17% of US income yet pay 38% of the total federal taxes. Some democrats have suggested a 50% tax rate on top wage earners and the Occupiers want 85%. The entitlements will cost $2.1 TRILLION which is double the cost in 1990 of $984 billion, that is the real problem and the reason why your trying to divert attention to top wage earners and away from a problem caused by liberal democrats. The entitlement costs are what's driving our $1.3 trillion deficit. Obama's only remedy is taxing top wage earners a higher tax rate which would bring in an extra $4 billion a year. Applying the $4 billion a year to this year's budget deficit would lower it from $1.3 trillion to $1.296 trillion which is nothing. This is akin to paying $200 dollars for a car costing $20,000. Democrats are frustrated because entitlement costs cannot be paid for without raising taxes on everyone by at least 35%. The key word in the last sentence is EVERYONE. So the attack on top wage earners is obviously a political ploy designed to divert attention away from the fact that democrats added entitlements without understanding the cost ramifications which now is either a very high tax rate on ALL Americans which will cost millions of jobs or reduce entitlement spending.
Our economy requires an annual GDP growth rate of 3.2% just to supply jobs for new entrants into the workforce. Our GDP growth rate has been averaging around 2% these last few years which includes this year's estimated GDP rate. This means our economy can't produce the jobs necessary for new entrants into the workforce and has essentially left the 12 to 14 million jobless Americans permanently unemployed. 50% of college grads can't even find work in their chosen field. Since 1948, the US GDP Annual Growth Rate averaged 3.23% compared to Europe's .39%. The drag on Europe's GDP is entitlement costs. The democrats solution to all this? Tax top wage earners more resulting in $4 billion extra tax revenue per year. Entitlement reform to bring down the cost of entitlements? No solution. Reduce Deficit spending? No solution. Do democrats want to continue conditions that are creating anemic economic growth causing permanent job loss for the unemployed? Apparently. Democrats simply aren't being honest with the American people which we deserve. Obama has failed to present a plan to reduce our deficit and bend the cost of entitlements downward which will only continue our economic malaise.
Voters in Wisconsin and all across America have a clear choice this year at the voting booth. Face our problems head-on or continue as is dooming our economy to financial ruin.
Why so concerned Obama and Reid are imposing a $500 billion per year tax increase beginning next year. So you are getting what you ask for
You will also get the consequence.
-----------)
The Harry Reid Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has reported that the Obama January 1, 2013, $500 billion tax increase will shrink the economy 1.3 % tanking it into a recession. CBO also estimate that unemployment rises to 9.2%
The $500 billion annually in automatic taxes that Obama already has going into place 1/1/2013 includes:
- lowest income tax rate jumps from 10% to 15%
- highest income tax rate jumps from 35% to 39.6%
- capital investment gains go from 15% to 20%
- the child tax credit is being reduced
- 15% dividends tax changed to be regular income up to 39.6%
- pay roll taxes up 2.9%
- new 3.8 % investment surtax including on real estate
- inheritance taxes exemption is reduced from $5 million to $1 million.
In December 2010 Reid and Pelosi lead extending ALL taxes and Obama signed say they could not raise taxes in a recession.
March 2012, the House voted down the Obama 2013 budget 0-414. The Ryan House budget plan was then passed 228-191.
The Harry Reid lead Senate rejected the Obama budget 99-0.
-----)
Republicans want tax reform to increase revenue
(---------)
The Liberal's "1%" leader Obama who is in the 35% tax rate bracket is only paying an effective tax rate of 20%.
Why? Because of all of those tax avoidance breaks that Obama refuses to get rid of.
Obama has a free house, free food, free airplane, free gas for his limo, free healthcare, free party planner, regular vacations in Las Vegas, and yet he scoured the 72,000 page tax rules and regulations for tax breaks.
(-----)
The Congressional Budget Office analysis shows that over $1 trillion of tax avoidance breaks are given out each year by the Federal Government.
So when people complain that the government is not getting enough revenue it is due to the tax breaks for the wealth not the tax rates. Today's rate were adequate to fund the government in the past - now with the $1 trillion tax avoidance breaks for the wealth they can not met revenue.
Tax avoidance breaks are for the sole purpose of Federal Government social engineering AND crony capitalism. The Federal Government is directing what people do with a 76,000 page tax code by emphasizing their objectives with a tax avoidance break.
The objective is to force businesses decisions based on tax avoidance rather then the best business needs.
72,000 pages of Tax avoidance breaks take many forms of individual and business credits, deductions, exemptions, income exclusion, multi-tiered rates, waivers, shelters, clawbacks, loopholes, swaps and exchanges, charities, excused penalties, stretch outs and carried forwards, family trust and see-through trusts, forgiveness, subsidies, incentives, grants, loans, stamps, bailouts, carveouts, and when it does not exist get a private-letter ruling
These tax avoidance breaks are for the sole purpose of rewarding political contributors and picking winners and losers.
I have an idea. If Dave is so adamant about "sacrificing," why doesn't he start by doing it himself? It's easy. Just write checks to the feds and NV that will help reduce their deficits, Dave. But Dave won't do that, will he? Of course not. Dave, like so many, finds it easy to spend other people's money for them. "Walk the walk; then talk the talk," Dave!
It's much easier for the letter writer to give advice than follow it himself. Same with Warren Buffett. Easier to say rich should pay more taxes. Harder, if not impossible for him, to sit down and write a check to do so. In fact when asked, specifically said he trusts his own judgement for using his money wisely than the US gov't. Smart man.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Comment removed by moderator. Personal Attack
Dave Starr is correct in saying that business and the wealthy do influence how the tax code is written. This is done through lobbying in Congress.
Unfortunately for Mr. Starr, that is only half the story. Math doesn't lie and the math here says that even if the wealthy and business had their taxes raised by huge amounts it wouldn't be nearly enough to end the deficits or start reducing our debt.
Math tells us that unless we change entitlements for future participants, decide that we are not going to intervene militarily and foreign aide wise in so many places around the world, reduce the size, scope and compensation of the Federal government... and raise taxes on all Americans, we cannot balance our budgets and reduce our debt.
R's and D's in Congress and our Presidents don't tell us that.... but math does.
Sorry Mr. Starr but like so many Americans, you are buying the balony and ignoring the math.
Michael
Viewed from another country, America's current political system is absurd. Virtually nothing gets accomplished in 2012 because of the pending election, and little got done in 2011 either. The odds of one party or the other gaining full control in the election are very slim. This would be a good thing if your politicians were willing to compromise, but at the moment they are not. My uneducated guess is that the Republican approach to running America will ruin it for everyone except the wealthy, but that the Democratic agenda will bankrupt America reasonably quickly.
Entitlement programs are vital to a just society, but they are worse than useless as they become unaffordable. Serious reform is required. Ditto with mushrooming medical costs.
No western democracy is capable of meeting the demand for free stuff from its electorate, no matter how excessively they tax everyone.
Sensible controls on spending in all areas are a prerequisite to good governance.
It's too bad that the two parties couldn't team up just for the next four years and hash out a compromise, but most foreigners expect that's impossible.
FromBellevilleCanada (Don Desaulniers)
How many people do you employ Dave?
Dave, if your envious of the 1% become one. Check this out:
"Angry, resigned, helpless."
That's how one Northern California Internal Revenue Service employee described revelations that millions of illegal aliens are claiming and receiving billions of dollars in tax refunds for alleged family members in Mexico using a loophole in the tax code.
Knowledge of the scam has grown following a report by Indianapolis television station, WTHR-TV. The report documented illegal aliens filing the IRS Additional Child Tax Credit form for children -- often nieces and nephews -- who have never lived in the United States. To legally qualify, a child must be present in the filer's U.S. residence for over half the year.
"We've seen sometimes 10 or 12 dependents, most times nieces and nephews, on these tax forms," a tax preparer-turned-whistleblower told WTHR News. "The more you put on there, the more you get back."
"Here's a return right here: we've got a $10,300 refund for nine nieces and nephews."
"We're getting an $11,000 refund on this tax return. There's seven nieces and nephews," he said, pointing to another set of documents. "I can bring out stacks and stacks. It's just so easy it's ridiculous."
http://www.wnd.com/2012/05/irs-field-age...
Just a word to the poster from Canada. When you sleep at night you put your head on the pillow with the assurance that all the resources of this nation that you so freely criticize are there to come to your protection if you ever need them. Canada has outsourced it's national defense to America, and you spend next to nother to protect your own nation, and complain when you are asked to step up on occasion to fight terrorism. You have allowed the Muslim population to creep into your society, and your loose immigration policies are a travesty. Get real and get some appreciation for your real protector to the South.
The GOP pretends to care about paying down the national debt. They whine about how unfair it is to pass the debt on to our children and grandchildren. Then they demand that cuts be made to programs that benefit those most in need.
All this huffing and puffing about balanced budgets while Willard Romney's tax rate on his $21,700,000 is ... 13.9%.
13.9%? Is that some kind of joke? Willard's hair stylist pays a higher rate than that. As does his gardener, cook and housekeeper.
But don't ask the GOP to raise Mitten's taxes. No, that would be class warfare. Mitten's has earned the right to pay 13.9% while your Average Joe gets hit with a substantially higher rate.
In reality republican blowhards don't really care about deficits. Here's proof. Remember when Bush was president and the GOP-controlled Congress rubber stamped every request for more dollars to be flushed down the Iraq toilet? They never blinked an eye before giving Bush everything he asked for ... and more.
It's all a game to the Party of No. Their definition of success is to make Obama a one-term president. Nothing but gaining political power is important to them. Nothing else.
LastThroes,
I'm truly sorry your jealous that the Obama's gave only $162,074 thousand in taxes compared to $3 million for the Romney's. I'm sure the $4 million the Romney's gave to charity compared to $172,000 for the Obama's has you upset too. I hope you get over your envy soon.
Regarding Citizens United, no one's asking Dave Starr why he wants to eliminate business from political expression but not unions. What's up with that Dave?
It was the Union Bosses that joined with Business to be allowed to have free speech.
Unions have committed $1 billion plus for all election in 2012
From the 2008 election the Union bosses got the $1 trillion payola stimulus as a payday
Democrats fully understand where the real money and payback are from
Democrats, we understand that the far left liberal wing of your party has you in a pickle. It would be blasphemy to even utter the phrases "reduce the deficit", "reform entitlements" or "reform the tax code" as these concepts are not a match with the overall socialist philosophy or your far left base. In a 2010 Gallup poll linked below, 53% of democrats had a positive image of "socialism," while 41% had a negative image so we understand that the solutions to the financial problems our country faces are antithetical to the beliefs of your socialist far left base but you democrats must show some leadership in taking care of the financial problems facing our country. If we act now we can avoid painful austerity measures however, if we don't we're in for a long period of sustained and unavoidable high taxes for those who still have jobs and high levels of unemployment for those who don't. Show some leadership democrats.
http://www.gallup.com/poll/125645/Social...
"Let me control the money and I care not a wit who writes the laws".
There's your problem. The main difference between the 2% and the rest of us is the fact they can counterfeit the money and we can't.
Can you issue stock? options? bonds? finance your customers? float credit instruments? derivatives? own a bank? All of that is basically counterfeiting of the money by private interests. As of today any control of this activity by society has been removed and the rich are free to print money at will.
That is the issue folks, private counterfeiting. Not enough these forces print directly, now they are directing our government to spend public money direct on their ventures. That is why we have massive deficits as far as the eye can see.
What they can't print, they steal outright. What do you think a hedge fund is? If you said a pump and dump machine you would be correct. Without play money you would not have the pump and dumps like Greece or the current mess over at the old LV Hilton.
Play money, that is the problem.
I agree with some of your comments, but why are you so concerned about politics in "the states"? Have you been following politics in Canada? I hear that your government is becoming very conservative. And what's up with the robo calls? http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/tag/robocal.... Did you hear what is going on with the Maid of the Mist (Niagara Falls)? Very sad; I loved the Maid of the Mist.
Here's what Romney will do to what is left of the United States.
http://www.sfweekly.com/2012-04-18/news/...
It's time for lobbyists and our congressional members to start wearing corporate logos. Show us who you really represent because it's no longer "We the people."
I can imagine logos stacked on their chests like an old combat veteran with rows of ribbons, except the veteran earned his or hers.
I wonder how many on this board who preach the virtues of our style of capitalism have a pot to piss in. Public record searches indicate some don't even own their own home.
Accomplish something, then discuss capitalism away from mommy and daddy's house.
Sitting on your rear ends 24 hours a day and typing on the computer is a failure of capitalism, not a virtue.
Bloggers who earn nothing from their work and live off of others are the ultimate socialist class.
Too many Americans just seem incapable of admitting that we cannot resolve our problems with cuts in spending alone or taxing the rich alone.
The fiscal mess is gigantic and growing each day. In order to get control, we have to re-write the inocme tax code so everyone pays some tax and the wealthy and businesses cannot easily escape taxes using the tax code. We also have to change entitlements for future participants and involve ourselves less in foreign affairs and wars.
The R's offer the false promise of spending cuts alone fixing everything. The D's are no better when the offer taxing the rich as a solution.
Michael
Vernos,
You seem to understand that lobbyists for rich and powerful groups lobby Congress and often get what they want... and that skews our system.
What solution do you suggest?
Michael
Only about 25% get 4 year college degrees and half the country can't come up with a grand in an emergency. People are leveraged to the hilt and seeking bankruptcy relief in droves.
A substantial number of seniors rely on a $1000 a month SS check as sole source of income. According to the medical industry which takes people by the millions to court wealth creation doesn't even begin until families earn over $200K a year. Median income about $50K.
The vast majority cant even come close to a home, saving for medical and retirement, as well as putting kids through a good school which can cost over $60K a year.
Capitalism works for high income earners and the rest are neck deep in manure.
There is no solution. America is way to expensive for most Americans. Families earn 50K and need 200K. The difference is social welfare. This conundrum is playing out the world over. In France and England choice properties are selling for between $100 million and $750 million dollars. They are not happy. People want at a minimal a decent roof over their heads. In California and New York you can sell a 100mil property faster than a 500K property. The first property to sell for over a mil in Ca. was in 1977. From a mil to 100mil in 35 years GREAT!!!!!
Traeger
I'm back. Thank you for the laugh. Laughter keeps you young. I saw a comment from you that stated: OMG" it's Snow White again. Were you referring to me? I am honored, who knows we could become BFF's; No I don't think so. But you could be one of the seven dwarfs, which one do you like; how about Dopey.
You stated: Everything from Ref, Future, Houstonjac, rusty and Bling is the 100% damn truth and can all be verified via the internet. Do you actually believe everything you read on the internet?? Well, of course you agree that it is all 100% damn truth, you are all using the same talking points with different interpretations and spins. Sounds like you had a bad night.
If your intent is to persuade someone/anyone from accepting Obama's directions for this country; I am afraid it is not working. What may be working is your persuading independents/non-partisans to vote the D ticket in 2012. Keep up the good work. You cannot persuade someone who already agrees with your position.
You stated"Well...you better have an out"I already got mine planned. Were you referring to Belize? Hey Traeger, Belize is beautiful. Maybe we will be neighbors; I love the ocean. http://www.escapefromamerica.com/2009/11...
Oh by the way you stated: I can only add one thing. The letter writer, just like Obama (always) throws this "fairness" word around. Now Traeger, I read that article several times and by golly I did not see the word "fairness". However, I do find it interesting your injection of the word "Fairness" in your response.
A lot of what those guys say is absolutely true. The problem is the the stuff put on the board shows the complete failure of capitalism to provide for the masses of people.
Capitalism provides no guarantees. If you're a doctor, lawyer, successful entrepreneur, or mathematical genius you can make billions of dollars before you're old enough to buy a beer. The vast majority of people do not fall into the above categories.
"You seem to understand that lobbyists for rich and powerful groups lobby Congress and often get what they want... and that skews our system. What solution do you suggest?"
Michael,
Outlaw insider trading, lobbyists and their corporate funding. Reform election funding and reverse Citizens United. Use campaign funds from that check box on people tax returns and/or small donations. It was good enough for Reagan and Carter when they ran.
We now have single donors throwing millions at a candidate. What will those people expect in return if their "store bought" candidate wins a seat of power? It isn't that they are patriots because these people worship the almighty dollar and international/offshore investments.
Zip-it Socialism provides no guarantees. Our entitlement society is overwhelming Capitialism.
VB we certainly know what the Union bosses are buying with their "store bought" candidate
Dave, you summed it up nicely - and accurately might I add.
"That's how one Northern California Internal Revenue Service employee described revelations that millions of illegal aliens are claiming and receiving billions of dollars in tax refunds for alleged family members in Mexico using a loophole in the tax code." Rusty57
This issue has been discussed here. An update: Russell George the IG of Treasury, and his staff, testified before Congress about this tax scam. The House of Representatives passed recently a proposed bill to eliminate the "loop hole." Basically, REQUIRING filers to provide tax numbers/SSN's for the dependent children on the IRS forms. It's on hold in the Senate where Harry Reid refuses to bring the bill to the floor for discussion/vote.
BTW, as I've said before, Russell George is a premier IG and civil servant. He will see this problem to a satisfactory end. As an IG he is non-partisan and is appointed by the President and reports to Congress.
His staff, present and past, some of whom I know personally and knew professionally, speak of George in the highest and most glowing terms, always.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Here's the link. The date of the article is May 24. Senator Reid is a dinosaur. He needs to go. SOON.
http://www.immigration911.org/news/2012/...
Carmine A. DiFazio
Its for the 47% (the ones who pay no fed income tax)to start paying thier fair share. 5% would be a start.
"Tax Freedom Day Arrives on April 17th, 2012
Tax Freedom Day 2012 arrives on April 17 this year, four days later than last year due to higher federal income and corporate tax collections. That means Americans will work 107 days into the year, from January 1 to April 17, to earn enough money to pay this year's combined 29.2% federal, state, and local tax bill."
Carmine A. DiFazio
PS: My above post applies to those Americans, and there are fewer every year, who actually pay Federal Income Taxes.
Why pay taxes when the Gov't will do for you what you won't do.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Tax Freedom Day and rates over the years:
Year
TFD
Percentage tax burden
1900
January 22
5.9%
1910
January 19
5.0%
1920
February 13
12.0%
1930
February 12
11.7%
1940
March 7
17.9%
1950
March 31
24.6%
1960
April 11
27.7%
1970
April 19
29.6%
1980
April 21
30.4%
1990
April 21
30.4%
2000
May 1
33.0%
2001
April 27
31.8%
2002
April 17
29.2%
2003
April 14
28.4%
2004
April 15
28.5%
2005
April 21
30.2%
2006
April 24
31.2%
2007
April 24
31.1%
2008
April 16
29.0%
2009
April 8
26.6%
2010
April 9
26.9%
2011
April 12
27.7%
2012
April 17
29.2%
Read it and weep.
Carmine A. DiFazio
While the extreme right wingers who posted here (RefNV, Futue, Carmine, Jerry, Bob Jack, and Marl Traeger) are all sitting in their palatial mansions counting the pinks slips they will giddily hand out to teachers, unionists, Walmart Greeters (recently deemed unnecessary), and anyone else they can get rid of -- all to further enable their maids and butlers to have pay cuts. We know how you feel. Why don't you go the RJ and hang out over there instead of here?
Then we have Mr. False equivalency (Micheal Casler) who, by virtue of his thinking his blaming both sides makes him "above" the fray is as bad as the extreme right wingers. In some cases both sides are equally bad, in most cases one party is clearly an impediment to getting things right. There is right and wrong.
You guys ALWAYS bet on the CEO, you short change Americans and forget it is the 99% who are partners with the 1% -- We allow you to use our courts, cops, jails, roads, bridges that allow you your fortunes -- in exchange for a piece of the pie. This is NOT the United States of Corporate America. Whether you find out at the ballot box this November or down the road a spell, the overwhelming majority of Americans are SICK TO DEATH of you and your greed.
Anyone who doesn't admit that corporations are there to make profits and countries are here to keep it as fair for the bottom 1% as the top 1% needs to MOVE out of America, you have ceased to be Americans. The occupy movement was a start in this direction. It scared the stuffing out of many republicans, Romney included. Many independents and liberals joined these protests, which were more grassroots than the teabagger movement was on its best day.
Your cries for austerity are just code for another power-play for more union busting, privatization of Schools, Social Security, Medicare. If you are successful you will starve the social services to the point that there are no revenues to cover a humane level of services. Here, once again is the definition of Austerity:
Austerity:
Aus*ter"i*ty (?), n.; pl. Austplwies (). [F. austerite, L. austerias, fr. austerus. See Austere.]
1. Sourness and harshness to the taste.
2. Severity of manners or life; extreme rigor or strictness; harsh discipline.
The austerity of John the Baptist.
3. Plainness; freedom from adornment; severe simplicity.
Or:
AUSTER''ITY, n. [L. austeritas.] Severity of manners or life; rigor; strictness; harsh discipline. It is particularly applied to the mortifications of a monastic life, which are called austerities.
This is what your plan is:
The souring of the American dream (unless you are already a 1%er), a HARSH level of service cuts, followed by the 1% getting a new windfall on the privatization of what was cut. Further your calls for austerity include HARSH discipline, guess who this will fall on more severely? the top 1% or the bottom 10%? If you answer the top 1% you are a liar and a doltish human being.
To those guys who are fair minded here, like Frank, Colin, 8fan, Vernos, and the newbie Kepi. Keep up the good work. Ignore the self serving vitriol these right wingers spew here. They are only doing what Fox News tells them to do, and Fox news only does what they are told by the Republican Party, which does only what Karl Rove tells it to do. To Michael Casler and the other guys who subscribe to the "I am smarter than both crowd" Join the republicans or pick a side. Your attitude is like that of the People's Front of Judea from Monty Pythons "Life Of Brian" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iS-0Az7dg... (Language warning on that video) -- all talk and no action that makes a difference.
Vernos,
Congress already outlawed insider trading with a weak rule, recently. Outlawing lobbying has been tried but it is illegal to prevent people or groups from having access to people in Congress. Even if Citizens United is reversed, it isn't like we didn't have this problem before that decision. Public financing doesn't work either.
So, Vernos... with all due respect... do you have any other solutions. You correctly state the problem... money in politics, but you don't have workable solutions.
Michael
JeffFromVegas,
I see quite clearly that R's have been unwilling to co-operate with President Obama and D's in what they want to do. I'd have to be blind not to see that.
I can also see just as clearly that when the D's had the Presidency and control of both houses of Congress, They did not raises taxes on the wealthy or anyone else, they did not tackle true immigration reform with any plan to secure the borders, they did not propose a re-write of the income tax code, they did not make any real attempt to make changes to SS and Medicare to keep both programs solvent for the future, they crafted and passed the ACA and did not not include any way to reign in the rising costs of medical care and they did nothing in the areas od duplicative government programs aand waste. They didn't even go after military spending issues.
So I'm sorry but I am quite willing to admit that the R's totally screwed up in their turn at governance and still are screwing up, but I can find little respect for those that claim the D's are any better.
Michael
We're supporting 1.4 million active duty and another 1.1 million reservists to "protect" the rest of the world. We don't protect our borders but we're paying for a missile defense shield for Europe. Priorities need to be aligned with rational thought. First: Secure the nation, our lands, borders, interior from threat and invasion. Second: Secure our operating structure--laws and courts need to be efficient and relevant--the feds should not be interfering with state/local operations. Third: Get cost efficient. Only allow ESSENTIAL government operations. Strip down the unneeded as fast as possible. Enable IRS (right after changing agency name) to do their job. Instead of assisting illegal invaders, enable IRS to locate and expel tax cheaters who have no business in this country. Enable the State Department and Homeland Security to tally, and even track, foreign nationals in this country--legal AND illegal. Set up, perhaps by Executive Order, a means to EXPEL illegals--constitution says the feds can REGULATE immigration--nothing says we can't EXPEL those who can't prove they entered illegally. Deportation is for those who are here legally. Stop granting funds to states and localities and school districts--by cutting federal income taxes, there may be a means for localities to tax BASED ON NEED. End all the administrative expense of the feds dolling out the dollars. END foreign "aid."
The end of June is almost here. Will the Attorney General start focusing on ENFORCING FEDERAL LAW instead of annoying States like Arizona? Will local governments be able to budget or must every other program (including K-12) be decimated to pay for Obamacare? Let's see, simple math: 150,000 more on Medicaid in Nevada. If each is healthy enough to cost us only $1,000 a year in medical care that's $150 million. Can we save that much be putting the schools onto the Arizona plan where they pay $1,000 per student per year LESS than Nevada but get more graduates who can read and write? There are roughly 150,000 K-12 students in Nevada so that $1,000 per cut will almost cover the Medicaid portion of Obamacare. Now what services do we cut so we can pay for the health insurance for another 200,000 or so?
See, the math just doesn't work from another direction. There is not enough tax revenue possible to pay for everything.
"While the extreme right wingers who posted here ( Carmine,)
Wrong. Independent all my adult voting life. Worked for six presidents of BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES. Always test left of center in political tests. And still.
Carmine A. DiFazio
The top 10% of earners in this country pay 75% of all Federal taxes.
The bottom 50% pay 2.25% of all the Federal Taxes.
Seems that many that fall in between are the ones that complain the most about those that pay 75% of all the Federal taxes.
Yes, many of the top earners pay a lower percentage but much more in Dollars.
This Chart will give you some decent FACTS to deal with: http://ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-incom...
Want to make it really fair? Lets say everyone pay 10% of their gross income, no deductions. How does that work for you? ;-)
Michael:
There is a budget that is offered every year that the republican controlled media refuse to give the same respect as the Ryan budget abortions.
Here are 2 examples of a starting point for negotiations. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gsxq1SIEq... and http://epi.3cdn.net/55d8ba5873e5bd097e_a...
These are good budgets that could work. Next to no one has heard of them, wonder why?
Here is more http://cpc.grijalva.house.gov/
Carmine said:
""While the extreme right wingers who posted here ( Carmine,)
Wrong. Independent all my adult voting life. Worked for six presidents of BOTH POLITICAL PARTIES. Always test left of center in political tests. And still."
I say:
Yeah, the Pope is Jewish too ;)
Vegaslee just proved paying taxes should be one's goal. I doubt anybody wants to be in the group paying 2.25%. Sadly most of those stuck in the bottom 50% have no chance at real escape. That truth is what keeps Las Vegas humming, the fantasy one is not a slave.
"Tax codes are designed to benefit the wealthy"
Ya right, they pay nearly ALL the taxes while a vast cross section of Americans PAY NO INCOME TAX !
Our corporations are the highest taxed in the world and this reflexes in the price of every goods or services you buy!
Successful people are leaving the country in groves and heading to more tax friendly places! Who will carry the load when they are all gone?
The REAL problem is that the tax codes favor the poor and non-productive people in order to get them to vote for those that will give them more free stuff!
EVERYONE needs to pay their fair share! If EVERYONE paid something, even just a few hundred dollars they would have a stack in this country and be more concerned about how it's run!
Jeff,
The first link is not a budget proposal but instead a bucnch of ideas. The second link is closer to a budget, but something with this kind of detail is what did in the past come out of the Senate as a budget. The Senate should release this or something similar as a 'budget'. Then the House Ryan Budget and a Senate budget could be debated. If the R's or D's balked at that point, I'd blame them both.
I too want us out of Iraq and Afghanistan and I would be a supporter of a budget that accomplished that. It does seem that again, the People's budget uses voodoo math and counts money we were going to spend in Iraq and Afghanistan but wouldn't under this budget as a reduction or savings. When either side does this, I lose some respect for them.
I give R's in the House credit for proposing a budget, draconian and unpopular though it may be. I expect the D's in the Senate to do the same and they haven't.
Both parties need to admit that when either gets serious about our financial situation, they are going to have to propose alot of stuff that will make alot of Americans angry.
I don't know about you, but I'm ready for both parties to step up. I'm still waiting...
Michael
Frank,
I don't think the Ryan budget is the one we should use but I give Ryan and the R's credit for proposing a budget in the House. I'd like to see a real budget proposal come out of the Senate. THEN we'd have something to really debate and a CHANCE at least for a compromise budget.... like what was done in the past. If that was done and Congress could not... would not reach a compromise, I'd favor voting them all out and starting over.
I'll say it one more time. The majority of people in Congress are scared to death to admit that their lack of diligence led us to where we are today and that many very distastful actions will need to be taken to rectify the situation.
What we get now is the Ryan budget, which stands zero chance of passing and its supporters know this, an Obama budget that likewise has zero chance of passing and its supporters know this and the D's 'budget' that really isn't a budget... and its supporters also know it isn't going anywhere.
If you wish to support that kind of 'work' from both sides in Congress and the President, you are free to do that, but our problems are so serious now that I think we need to demand better than this.
Michael
Does everyone know that a little over 48% of earners earn $25,000 or less? And around 75% earn $50,000 or less? Let's get a flat tax and make it fair.
TEA:
My business experience has had me in the bowels of the ghetto and talking to several CEO's of the top 500 US companies about corporate management strategies. I have been primarily in between with small and medium sized business.
When asking business owners to give me a list of their top 5 business challenges it has universally (90%) been about making more sales. I met with about 30 business owners a week in my role as a management consultant.
I can tell you that unions were of a tertiary concern if even mentioned. Most companies problems are, from my experience of doing this --travelling the country for 5 years are family related. Family people are mismatched in their roles in family run businesses.
Sometimes families -- like Woody Allen famously said, "My brother thinks he's a chicken" When asked why they don't get him help, the "sane" brother said "Because we need the eggs" -- have the courage to fire the chicken, most don't.
All your posturing leaves you standing right where you started.
How do you like your eggs?
Wow, Jeff, as a consultant, in one week, you averaged seeing 6 clients per day. 120 minutes per client equals 12 hour days? Tell me, were the CEO's challenged to "making more sales" or increasing sales revenue?
"Yeah, the Pope is Jewish too ;)"
So am I. What a coincidence.
Carmine A. DiFazio
"Carmine ... please get out of here ...your posts are A. Stupid B. Devoid of facts C. Make absolutely no sense. D. Are simple minded"
I read yours just for the laughs. They are better than the funnies.
Carmine A. DiFazio
RefNV:
I did not say 30 businesses, an oversight an oversight likely observer like yourself would incorrectly assume.
It was on average 2.5 businesses per day. Sometimes multiple partners, like in a law firm, other times, a single owner. Sometimes an employee owned company. At times I would meet with people involved in Co-ops and sometimes spoke to local business groups.
To expect a fair and balanced look at things by you is like expecting Romney's son's to enroll in any of the Armed Services, it ain't gonna happen.
Jeff,
I'm glad you explained your experience of talking to the "top 500 US companies about corporate management strategies". It's interesting how all of the top 500 US companies called you when there's so many other consulting companies out there. But all of them called your company, perhaps even asking for just you. You must be a good consultant.
RefNV:
You really can't function in an intelligent way when you go into these political rages you are prone to.
Read closer, no more hints now junior, you will have to figger the rest out on yer own.
Jeff,
You don't come across as being a former business consultant. Your discussion points and vernacular are the big tip offs.
RefNV said:
"You don't come across as being a former business consultant. Your discussion points and vernacular are the big tip offs."
I say:
I am also a former stock broker. Hate it or Love it Ref, I have a wealth of real life practical experience that your one trick pony con-man routine will never match.
I am not here to impress you, I am here on a mission. Like the Blues Brothers, only in this case it is real. Behave yourself, see you around...
Some things NEVER change...
For example, take the right-wingers on this board. They always come running to the defense of America's wealthy any time some one attacks the wealthy & suggests that they should pay their fair share...
Common sense tells me that those who post on this board and defend the wealthy are a long, long way from being wealthy themselves.
My neighbor of many years ago, always referred to that group as "those Republicans who don't have a pot to pi** in."
He also referred to them as "pay check to pay check Republicans." I believe he was 100% correct with both assumptions.
He also maintained that they always vote against their own best interests....
From the looks of the last election or two, I must conclude that he was also correct with that assumption....
Yep, some things NEVER change.....
I pay a fortune in Federal taxes. If taxes are increased on dividends to 43% there is a good chance that I will no longer invest in the stock market.
TEA:
For running the world monetary fund, a half million bucks per year. Hmmmmmmmmmmm
Our insurance companies use at least 20% and some plans 35% of every premium dollar goes to bonuses and paperwork and marketing and underwriting and stuff that doesn't pay anybody's bill. In the European countries, let's see, Germany is all private insurance. Their administrative costs are 5 and 12%. Switzerland is all private insurance, 5%. France is about, is a mix of government and private insurance, 4 and 12% administrative costs. So it's interesting because our insurance companies get huge salaries and bonuses. They pay their CEOs 20, 25 million dollars a year. At United Health, there are 100 employees at United Health who make more than a million dollars a year and yet they're the least efficient payers in the world. They're not getting paid for performance.
And the CEO Stephen J. Helmsley, his first five years in the job made 477 million bucks. His predecessor, "Dollar Bill" McGuire made 1.7 billion for 10 years work. I mean it's mind boggling at United Healthcare.
Save the faux outrage.
Dave Starr.....Good letter.
YES, it's time for the wealthy to sacrifice.
After all, it's the greedy, anti-union republicans
who STOLE THE JOBS AND GOOD WAGES from the middle
class and left nothing but minimum wage, part-
time Walmart jobs to slave in.
It's time to pay it back.
LIVE BETTER/WORK UNION!!!
TEA.....
President Obama is going to beat Romney in a
LANDSLIDE!!!
Hope to hear from you after the election.
DEMOCRATS FOREVER!!!
If you perform a gedankenexperiment applying Louis XVI and then General Custer to our current times, you might be able to predict the future of this country if the rich continue to pay low taxes. The perception of the less fortunate and less educated people will over rule anything that republicans can come up with.
Carmine.....
When you back the greedy, heartless republicans,
you're no more Independent than the man in the
moon.
You're only fooling yourself.
LOL. School teachers are helping the rich get richer and the 99% get further into debt when they tell their students they have to go to college. May 1st was $1 trillion day, when student loan debt passed the $1 trillion mark (and that's just FEDERAL loans) Whose side are teachers on? Apparently on the side of Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, and B of A. JP Morgan just lost $5 billion, money that could have funded CCSD for a long time.
JeffFromVegas,
Glad you enjoyed your role as a consultant talking to the "top 500 US companies about corporate management strategies" of "primarily in between with small and medium sized business". Hopefully, the CEO's appreciated your input in helping their companies to "making more sales". Surprising to hear you state that "Most companies problems are, from my experience of doing this --travelling the country for 5 years are family related. Family people are mismatched in their roles in family run businesses". To hear that "top 500 US companies" mostly experienced the issue of "Family people being mismatched in their roles in family run businesses" is quite an interesting find. I'm sure this find helped the CEO's with their "corporate management strategies".
These people: RefNV, Futue, Carmine, Jerry, Bob Jack, and Marl Traeger clearly don't work for a living. The bombardment of this column shows that they sit most of the day, paid by political warped sources or some other hand out, ready to reply over and over to every comment with per-prepared links of unknown veracity or authorship.
There are no sacrifices at the top of the financial ladder, that is clear. The banking and real estate executives that created Trillions in bad debts don't want any regulation and are prepared to pour on more debt in phoney deals or wars once the economy becomes stronger.
War machine Romney is getting ready to squeeze the retired for more military money to stand up to the Russians and Chinese. What happened to the terrorists? This is an attempt to create new enemies out of paranoia to justify unregulated spending and destruction of social safety nets. Al Qaeda doesn't generate much news anymore so it's back to fear mongering with the Russians and Chinese.
War machine Romney's underlying goal is to create fear and paranoia to ramp up the debt even more while cutting off the medicine and financial assistance to the retired, and all this while reading the Bible...like Bush.
"Carmine.....
When you back the greedy, heartless republicans,
you're no more Independent than the man in the
moon.You're only fooling yourself." Teamster
You're the fool and so are those who think like you. We have 305 Million people in the USA. 3 million are millionaires or better. The number has gone down over the years. Half, or 150 Million are on the gov't dole. 107 Million of these are means tested, welfare based. The 3 million wealthy could give all their income to the gov't and it wouldn't be enough. These are the facts. We have become a welfare state like Europe. See what's happening to Europe. US is going down the same path. Both parties are responsible. Obama too. We need change. Romney is the one.
Carmine A. DiFazio
"These people Carmine clearly don't work for a living."
Since the age of 6 and still. Don't talk if you don't know.
Carmine A. DiFazio
"Hope to hear from you after the election." Teamster
And from you. Not just after the election. But after Romney disgraces Obama in the debates.
Carmine A. DiFazio
RefNV:
It is interesting, watching the nearsighted conman unleash his smearing inner Willie Horton/swiftboating ways about me, personally.
You are a ridiculous word contortionist who gets off on this sickness you call your political opinion.
A giddy little union busting political pervert without a soul.
Sacrifice? Half and more of their income year after year? "down to" 34% marginal federal income tax. 10-12% state income tax in many places, 6-9% sales tax, property tax.... Stop SPENDING.
The hand writing is on the wall....
Obama will be re-elected come November. A few simple questions validate my assertion:
What is Romney offering the American working class that will move this country forward?
How many of the extreme right-winger bible thumpers will hold their nose & vote for Mitt when push comes to shove?
How many voters actually believe that Romney is a "job creator?"
How many voters look upon Romney as nothing more than a spoiled little rich guy who is completely out of touch with the average American?
The answers to the above questions are:
Nothing!
Very few!
One out of a hundred!!
Most!
El Lobo asked:
"How many of the extreme right-winger bible thumpers will hold their nose & vote for Mitt when push comes to shove?"
I say: As a practical (most would call me a lefty, though I disagree) Bible thumper who is engaged daily with many of the extreme right-winger Bible thumpers you speak of, I respectfully disagree.
A year ago, Mormonism was looked upon as a cult with really nice family oriented folks who were good neighbors, but were going to hell for sure.
Now, we are being soft sold and the vitriol has subsided and Mormonism is described as a Christian faith. With a dropped ",but.." out of political necessity.
Of course this same softening of rhetoric does not extend to foreign born Muslims that live at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave, Washington DC. They are still going to hell.
As you can imagine, my position on US politics is in the minority in the Evangelical churches I attend. It is OK. I forgive them their errors in judgment.
The Right Wing Christian vote will be whipped into a frenzy by election day. I pray it is not enough to elect the guy with the crusty hair.
Mark TEA(Traeger),
SunJon, like El Lobo, Vernos, LastThroes, Colin, and JeffFromVegas doesn't like someone calling out his weak premises, mis-characterizations of people and distorted versions of the truth. The other day, I corrected SunJon because he claimed I misspelled "Roosevelt" as "Roosvelt". I replied for SunJon to "Go back to my 4:24am post. I spelled Roosevelt correctly every time. My 7:10am reference was Jim Weber's spelling of Roosvelt with a copy/paste from his 5:47am post". The link of that back-N-forth is below.
Just like the attacks on the top wage earners who make 17% of total US income but pay 38% of all federal taxes which is up from 1980 when the top wage earners paid 20% of all federal income taxes, nearly double now at 38%. SunJon and the rest don't like us putting their attacks on top wage earners into the proper context. And they really don't like the fact that union dues collected each year is 2 1/2 times the total of all CEO salaries which leads one to the obvious question, why don't we start taxing union dues at 50% during our current economic struggles until the economy recovers? Where is the union sacrifice? Union dues are a larger source of revenue to tax?
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2012/may...
TEA said:
"Jeff...I don't care how much she makes or anybody makes."
If you were telling the truth, that would have been the end of your post. You weren't telling the truth. You advocate for tax breaks for businesses regularly if my memory is correct. This woman, in her position, gets a tax break.
Get over it.
Now as to your callousness. You are up in arms over this woman, but think a corporation that has paid over 2 billion in compensation to its CEO's over a 15 year period is not disgraceful?
This tells us your brainwashing is complete.
I see those figures and think the shareholders and the customers got ripped off. That's about 1.5 billion dollars worth of Death Paneling.
Carmine:
What did you do as a six year old? I saw 4 mixed race kids (an Asian, black, white, and a Hispanic) strategically set up a lemonade stand near a huge garage sale I stopped at last weekend (I picked up a 5 ft. vinyl triplane kite for my 2 year old and me). They were so well organized and strategized, especially the kid guarding the money, that I just gave them a donation and encouraged them to continue of this path. I think if I had told them I am diabetic they would not have been as confused as to why someone was just handing them money. It could be interesting to find out what you started your work career off with.
Michael Casler Stated:
"Jeff,
The first link is not a budget proposal but instead a bucnch of ideas. The second link is closer to a budget, but something with this kind of detail is what did in the past come out of the Senate as a budget"
There has been serious, detailed budgets to come out of the CPC for years, however, only the last 2 are easily found online, and seeing as the odds of changing your mind is about 1 in 5,000 I didn't spend much time on it. Don't mistake my unwillingness to try to convince the unconvinceable that these things do not exist.
The bottom line is that the news media trumpets this horribleness known as the Ryan plan, it is well known, discussed and pretty ominous, the much better crafted CPC budget is virtually unknown. This is another example of the "Only White Guys In Suits" get treated with respect on TV.
Unless your name is Jeremiah Wright, or Trayvon Martin, then they will get you some face time. Looking at nine months of broadcasts from March to November of last year, the National Hispanic Foundation found just 3 percent of the 380 guests and commentators on ABC's This Week, CBS' Face the Nation, Fox News Sunday and NBC's Meet the Press were Hispanic people of any race.
Other underrepresented groups included women, who were just 22 percent of guests, black people at 8 percent of guests and Asian and Native American guests who stood combined at 1 percent.
Here is a portion of legislation proposed by the CPC The Fair Budget Fix for All would save $261 billion over the next 10 years by --
Adopting the "Buffett Rule;"
Eliminating wasteful agriculture subsidies;
Ending special preferences, loopholes, and accounting gimmicks for big oil and gas;
Reducing spending on outdated, unneeded nuclear weapons and related programs;
Closing loopholes that allow certain self-employed individuals to avoid paying their fair share of Medicare payroll taxes;
Abolishing the home mortgage interest deduction for vacation homes and yachts; and
Ending tax deductibility of advertising junk food to children.
This bill seems to make all sorts of sense. It will never see the light of day because, according to you, both sides are awful. What are the dems supposed to do? Kill enough republicans so Nancy Pelosi is Speaker again? You and I both know it doesn't work that way. Your feet stuck in cement is huge problem.
"Carmine:
What did you do as a six year old? " Jeff
Paper boy assisting my older brother then inheriting his route in Newark NJ.
Carmine A. DiFazio
"carmen; will mitten bring trump along for pointers?"
Absolutely. I don't always agree with both. BUT I respect them for who they are and what they do.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Carmine:
Well I am glad you got out of NJ before that fatso Governor wrecked the state ;)
"Carmine...yup. Those are facts. And they are easily verified via the net. But these folks fear even looking at them. Like a crucifix to a vampire. So closed minded. And that's what they accuse conservatives of being." TEA Mark
For sure. Don't hear debates about these facts. But alot of lip service wasted over the huge Obama and liberal elite lie: Rich need to pay more.
TEA, I guarantee when Romney meets Obama in the debates, 3 I think, he'll shellack him with these facts. And show how Obama made the US a worst welfare state. Just like Europe.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Hmmmmmm.....The right-wingers continue to talk & talk & talk & talk & talk & talk and yet they continue to say absolutely nothing!
It will be funny to hear their various excuses when Obama is re-elected this coming November. Boy, will they be talking then...Ha! Ha! Ha!
I can hear them now!
"The election was fixed!
Americans are stupid!
The election was skewed in Obama's favor because of the money put into the election by the unions!
The liberal media stole the election!"
Jeff.....
Sorry but I disagree with you & your belief that the extreme right-wing bible thumpers will vote for Romney in November. Some will but many will not....
This doesn't mean that they will vote for Obama....far from it, but they won't vote for what they consider a non Christian.
The GOP has shot themselves in the foot again....they have picked a candidate who can't win.
Like McCain in 2008, Romney will not carry enough of the independent vote to beat Obama...
Look for Obama to win at least 55-60% of the electoral vote. He had 68% of the electoral vote in 2008. The popular vote will be closer but Obama will still beat Romney by 5-8 million popular votes.....
"Interesting idea. But unions will be dead soon. First the public ones. Then soon after, the private ones." TEA MArk
Agree. I was a Chief Steward for AFSCME. Unions went bad when they believed their own hype that the legal privilege to collective bargaining was a right. No way. Unionized employees have better jobs, pay, benefits, and retirements than most American workers. Not always the case. When they didn't have it so good, Americans supported unions. No more. Americans know what Barrett and Walker know in Wisconsin. Las Vegas is learning too. Unions are greedy. Pigs get slaughtered in the end.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Carmine:
Have you watched Romney debate? He's -- as I have said -- likely a nice guy at some point, but he is dreadful thinking on his feet.
Is he going to offer a $50,000 bet against Obama?
ORomneyCare?
He's got a minefield.
El Lobo,
Obama has to run on his record which is a failure when you consider that he's done nothing to ease American's top three concerns which are jobs, the economy and debt & deficit spending. The anti-business Obama, unions and Occupiers can't create jobs, businesses do. Obama and his administration has essentially forgotten about the 12 to 14 million jobless Americans. What a shame.
Dipstick:
Are you sure Romney isn't a republican dressed up like a teabagger?
IMHO he is a poor fit for Americans either way...
TEA Asked:
"Anyway...did ya read Artur Davis's piece?"
I have little problem with well reasoned republicans. If he did run he would help bring you wingnuts to the bargaining table much more constructively than you teabaggers who want to blow up the table. In this way I welcome the occasional republican turning democrat, and democrat turning republican, though I am suspicious of both.
He seems to be attempting to be sincere. His attempt to force his thoughts into Bill Clinton's head soured me and had me be doubtful of everything else he had to say.
Democrats need to define who they are. Their far left base is the Occupy group which consists of radical teachers/students, socialists, anarchists and unionized workers. These liberals are frustrated because there is not enough revenue from any source to pay for entitlements and they refuse to reform entitlements as this would upset their socialist base. They want to tax top wage earners who earn 17% of total US income but pay 38% of all federal taxes. That's it, that is their plan. Collect $4 billion dollars from top wage earners yet ignore the $1.3 trillion dollar deficit. That is their plan which keeps piling up debt and creating yet more uncertainty with businesses and those consumers with means who normally spend leading us out of recessions. Democrats have lost moderate and conservative members of congress these last few years, from 56 in 2010 and only 10 are sure-things to return next congress. Liberals have tilted the party far-left socialist which makes compromising with a pro-business/free market party next to impossible.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-...
Ps.
It was good to see Obama apologize for using the phrase "Polish death camp" while honoring a Polish war hero. The president's remark had drawn immediate complaints from Poles who said Obama should have called it a "German death camp in Nazi-occupied Poland," to distinguish the perpetrators from the location. Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski called it a matter of "ignorance and incompetence."
This level of ignorance has to rank with Obama calling Navy corpsman "corpseman" instead of the correct pronunciation of the word which leaves out the "p" and "s".
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/...
TEA:
I believe you believe that nonsense you type. That doesn't make it so.
The experiments with Scott Walker, John Kascic (sp), and Rick Scott have showed us your true colors. You guys run on one thing, but then turn tail and wipe away 50 years of struggle.
It's the Teabaggers' vision for the country that would, literally, make the poor go hungry to give the Pentagon more money that it has asked for. It would also eliminate Social Services Block Grants that provide funding for Meals on Wheels, day care for children and disabled adults, adoption assistance, and transportation for the elderly and disabled.
That would be gone, entirely, because teabaggers hate old people, children, and adoption. Yes, adoption. Here are some other targets for cuts for the next decade:
$35.8 billion in food stamps
$66 billion from the Affordable Care Act, cutting subsidies for people buying insurance, eliminating the funding to states to set up exchanges, and eliminating the same prevention fund they're gutting to lower student loan interest rates;
$30 billion from the Dodd-Frank programs to eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and authority for the liquidity fund to prevent taxpayer bailouts of too-big-to-fail banks and help to underwater homeowners in refinancing.
That's just a start for Teabaggers.
You want a whack at food stamps? I want that money saved spent on renewing bridges and roads and making sure we all have parks to have our communities have places to encourage neighborliness. After that is done, and unemployment is a manageable 4% or so, we can talk.
There is no way you can be trusted to keep your word after the 3 republican governors backstabbed their constituents. We know how you operate.
O'Reilly is an extortion paying whack job who if he was on MSNBC would have been run off the air by Fox News for his perversions. Andrea Mackris is her name I think. His money all had these bands on them that say SHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhh and HHhhhhhhush.
TEA,
The liberals simply don't plan on fully paying for anything. The far-left socialists are in charge of that party and "reducing deficit spending" is a dirty phrase with these liberals. Liberals hope to use debt and deficit spending as an argument to promote socialism and replace capitalism. To liberals, debt & deficit spending is good.
TEA:
Come to the table with revenue and I will come to the table with cuts.
Austerity is what caused France these problems. If the Middle class sees that the wealthy are no longer given avenues of tax avoidance they will accept their share of the burden.
Being dictated to 24/7 cut, cut, cut will get you nowhere. All take and no give is not a negotiation, it is the communist way of old Russia.
In addition to this, I think it may all be moot unless we have a new technology or set of products to exploit. About the only hours left to add to operating inventory of most retailers are Christmas, Thanksgiving, and Easter. We may have reached a saturation point without the next "Big Thing" whatever it may be.
TEA:
BTW...if Scott Walker wins his recall vote. Will he still as you say, have "backstabbed" his constiuents?
Your answer will say a lot about YOUR integrity.
I say:
There is nothing that Walker can ever do beside reversing his anti union law that will have me believe or state that he is anything other than a repulsive politician.
The recall is and always will be an uphill climb.
Also included in Scott Walker's finance report last night was the disturbing revelation that he's transferred another $100,000 from anonymous donors to fund his criminal defense team. Earlier today, Barrett again called on Walker to disclose who is funding his high-powered criminal defense attorneys, but he continues to dodge questions and stonewall the public.
He is the only Governor in the country with a criminal lawyer.
You can have him.
Your support of this creep says oodles more about you than my disliking him says about me.
It's a bluff-a-thon.
It's a brag-a-thon.
"Mine is bigger than yours!!"
"Our guys are righter than your guys!"
It's ninnyhammers on parade, a charlatan's charade, a hate-loving orgy of angst and bewilderingly misplaced anger.
What we have here is the linguistic projection of a languishing respect for the size of the issues we face together, the simple truth of our failed policies and desperate situation that create the reactions ranging from self-righteousness and demonizing of others to abject despair in finding a path to honoring our world, to finding gratitude for our wealth of opportunity, and to solving the difficulties we have brought upon ourselves - and to do this finding and this solving with civility and compassion.
I suggest we take a look at how we have gotten here, what we are tasked with providing to our next generation and how we can find ways to improve the lot of all concerned... including the yeahoos, a-holes and miscreants of various stripes - our neighbors.
What is the main concern of the 1%? Apparently tax avoidance, as reported in this NY TImes piece on Ron Lauder, whose day job is figuring out complicated tax avoidance schemes to shelter the family billions from taxes. Aren't the 1% worried about our descent into third world status or our crumbling infrastructure? Don't they have to use the same roads and bridges? The docu "The Crumbling of America" was awesome--especially the report that our electrical grid isn't ready for the digital age. COOL!!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/27/busine...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBSPcIGGc...
manfromuncle1,
Liberals haven't shown anyone that an extra $4 billion from top wage earners will suddenly close the $1.3 trillion budget deficit. Liberals argument is akin to saying I have $200 dollars to pay for a $20,000 dollar car........it gets our country no where. The attention on top wage earners is the liberals way of drawing attention away from Obama's poor economic record. Liberals are essentially treating the 12 to 14 million jobless Americans like the step-child you hide in the closet and that's shameful.
Ref,
Okay, libs don't want to talk about high unemployment, and repubs don't want to talk about the $1 trillion student loan debt bubble. If you're worried about the budget deficit, then you should be happy about the huge defense cuts about to go into effect. According to this Fox video, the cuts are already hurting defense contractors.
http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/166197277...
manfromuncle1,
Don't worry, Obama weakening the defense department will be a political topic in this year's election. Most countries spend 2%-3% of their GDP on defense and the US spends on average 4%. The American tax payer will opt to protect our country with the extra 1% spent as a percent of GDP compared to other nations. The only people against it are the anti-military and anti-war zealots in the democratic party. Lets take this topic into the election and debate it.
TEA:
You and the rest of you right wing socialists (Socialism: A theory or system of social reform which contemplates a complete reconstruction of society, with a more just and equitable distribution of property and labor.)keep babbling to each other.
We are going to have to suspend or renogotiate paying interest on the debt if we don't get some major change happen quickly.
Doing it right wing or left wing, the interest is gonna have to go before grannies pills.
Have a Blessed life.
Liberals want the extra $4 billion from Obama's proposed class warfare tax hike on only the top wage earners(btw, it already failed in passing) but ignores developing a solution for closing the $1.3 trillion dollar deficit. This while most polls show that the top three American concerns are jobs, the economy and debt/deficit spending. It's hard not to conclude that socialism in the democratic party is getting in the way of solutions that would ease American's concerns. Blasphemy in the democratic party is to be a democrat and utter the phrases "reduce the deficit", "reform entitlements" or "reform the tax code" as these concepts are not aligned with those in the democratic party who prefer socialism.
Ref.....
Actually Obama has worked wonders with the economy when you stop & consider the extent that Republicans have gone to keep the economy from recovering...
Obama didn't create our current mess (thanks George W) but he has worked hard to move this country forward.
Despite everything that the GOP has done to keep Obama from doing his job, the economy is slowly recovering.....
I'm sure you don't believe that but what's new?
Remember what several leading Republicans said immediately after Obama took the oath as president?
I'll help you with the question.....they all said that their main goal was to see that Obama wasn't re-elected.
They didn't say aything about turning the economy round....don't you find that strange?
Yes, we have approximately 10-12 million Americans unemployed or working at jobs that pay very little.
Most of the jobs gone are the result of the global economy that has seen American corporations move their entire operations off-shore.
American corporations are making more in profit & paying less in taxes than any time since the Eisenhower years....
Surely you know that?
Keep in mind that George W created a mere 3.8 million jobs during his 8 years as president. Of course, some 8 million jobs were taken off-shore during that same time period...
Keep in mind that the last president to come close to a balanced budget was Bill Clinton. The two president's before Clinton, Reagan & George senior never produced a balanced budget.
Actually, Clinton left George junior with a budget surplus. The two wars that junior took us to have cost over a trillion dollars and the drain on the money supply continues as Obama works to get us out of Afghanistan........thanks George junior!
Hey TEA....
There's no question that the income tax code should be re-worked. Without question, everyone should pay something and the rich and the corporations should pay a great deal more than what they currently pay......they can afford it & they won't miss it!
GE paid no taxes (that's ZERO) two years ago! I guess that's OK in your book? Right?
Now you have a question to answer....
Is is OK that GE paid NO taxes two years ago?
"Obama didn't create our current mess (thanks George W) but he has worked hard to move this country forward."
This line doesn't make any sense. The word "mess" is too vague. You mean our lack of job creation today that doesn't even keep pace with new entrants into the workforce is the previous President's fault? Should we blame Clinton then on 911 for not heeding intelligence information from the middle east in the 1990's? The anti-business Obama, unions and Occupiers can't seem to create jobs El Lobo........I guess America needs business after all....the Obama $861 billion stimulus just didn't get the job creation thing going now did it. My my.
"The two wars that junior took us to have cost over a trillion dollars and the drain on the money supply continues as Obama works to get us out of Afghanistan........thanks George junior!"
Bush added $4.8 trillion to our national debt. $1.6 trillion was due to the recession as we collected lower tax revenue during then and $1.8 trillion was due to ever increasing entitlement costs that dems refuse to address. We've spent $17 trillion on entitlements from 2000 to 2010 and $1.6 trillion on the war on terror to root out Al Qaeda from their training bases in Afghanistan and Iraq. But we could have just cleaned up New York and waited on the next attack on US soil, would you have preferred that El Lobo?
El LObo,
Keep the below Bureau of Labor Statistics website handy. From 2001 to 2008, Bush maintained between 62%-63% of the population working starting with 139 million in 2001 and 145 million in 2008, a difference of 9 million. Obama? 139 million to 141 million today, a difference of 2 million after nearly 4 years in office. The percent of the population working during Obama's Presidency? It started with 59.3% and has since dropped to 58.5%. What was Reagan's stats? Reagan, at the start of his term, had 100 million Americans working and at the end of his second term had 117 million Americans working. Reagan had 59% of the population working at the start of his first term and 63% at the end of his second term. Reagan was a pro-business President, something we need today to help promote pro-growth business policies to get businesses investing and hiring again.
http://bls.gov/web/empsit/cpseea01.htm
Ref.....
I'll say it again...Reagan, Bush senior & Bush junior NEVER produced a balanced budget. That consisted of 20 years of GOP rule & NO BALANCED BUDGETS!
The war in Iraq was not needed. Don't give me this crap about the threat of terrorism in an attempt to justify the Iraq War.
Saddam HAD NOTHING to do with 9/11.....please. please, get real!
We should never have gone to war in Iraq! Most Americans now recognize that very thing....
The last balanced budget produced was during the Clinton years....Wake-up & see the truth! It won't bite you....
Reagan greatly increased the national debt. He took this country from the largest "lending nation" to the largest "borrowing nation!" He once said that doing that was his biggest regret as president.
Clinton left Bush junior with a budget surplus. How much of a surplus did Bush junior leave Obama?
Historians rank Bush junior as one of our worst presidents.
Junior's tax breaks for the rich helped create our present mess....Add the two wars that junior got us involved in and the fact that he NEVER included the cost of the wars in his budget & one starts to understand what a "bad joke" George junior really was...
The tax breaks for the rich will expire in December.....that alone will greatly help (but not solve...) our budget problems.
Accept it & avoid the rush......Obama will win re-election in November. Romney will go the same way McCain went....
There's no evidence that Romney is a "job creator." Bain Capital didn't create jobs.
As the governor of Mass, Romney created very few jobs. He didn't dare run for re-election. He knew that he would get his butt kicked!
El Lobo states "Saddam HAD NOTHING to do with 9/11.....please. please, get real!"
El Lobo, the Iraq Resolution, which was approved on a bi-partisan basis, cited the following as one of the many factors for the Iraq engagement:
"Members of al-Qaeda, an organization bearing responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq."
El Lobo, please get your facts straight.
Hey TEA,
Well TEA, it appears as if yur gang of conservatives stayed up all night in pursuit of their quest to persuade (is that what you call it?). Some became angry bears; a little testy. So, I understand yur gang's methodology of persuasion; it is to transfer facts and emotions to the other party; misinterpret and misrepresent facts; name calling; belittling; demeaning; referring to anyone that does not agree with you as a liberal, socialist and now a marxist. Have I missed anything?
Yur claim is that yur goal and objective is to "persuade independents and fence-sitters", do you really think that condescending and disparaging remarks followed by name calling and inundating the readers with numbers/data is the proper way of accomplishing yur goals and objectives? Is that really the best you got? Is that your Art of Persuasion? Do you really think it is working for you? Personally, I am glad yur gang is taking that approach.
Since I have been dismissed; there is no need for you to respond to this comment. Thank goodness.
Additionally, I am flattered to have been dismissed along with such an eloquent (fact-based) writer like Jeff from Vegas. At this rate, I estimate by the middle of June, you will have no one to communicate with except yur gang and they already agree with you.
Bye Bye
May 29, 2012 @ 11:28 a.m., TEA stated: yur smarter than the average bear...but wrong about yur assumptions
Dopey?...no that would be Obama
http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2012/05/......
Escape From New York? High-Taxing Empire State Loses 3.4 Million Residents in 10 Years
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/escape-n......
Poll: U.S. conservative on economics
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/051......
But...you did make me laugh. And yur right about that.
But unfortunately since yur also right that conservative bloggers are trying to persuade independents and fence-sitters. (with facts and links I might add) I can waste no more time with you. Good luck in your dependency Julia...er kepi.
--------------------------------------------------------
May 30, 2012 @ 1:16 p.m. TEA stated: I fully, unequivicably, understand you now. You're smart and articulate. But you lack integrity. Jeff...you are truly either a marxist or a socialist. And that means you are living in the wrong country. The United States of America must never go down that road.
Thank you very much for the "written" conversation and debate. I enjoyed it. But we are done. Respond to my future posts if you like. I will not waste any more time with you. My attention must go to the independents and undecided.
Hey Ref....
You said:
"Members of al-Qaeda, an organization bearing responsibility for attacks on the United States, its citizens, and interests, including the attacks that occurred on September 11, 2001, are known to be in Iraq."
First of all, where did the quote come from...in other words, link please?
Secondly, There was NO need to go to war against Iraq. That's pretty much common knowledge.
Saddam was not harboring al-Qaeda or other terrorists in Iraq. Are you that naive or maybe you actually believe that people are stupid enough to believe that bit of false information?
In other words, the Bush administration lied to the American people. They were working over time in an attempt to convince Americans that we needed to invade Iraq.......please, please, please, get real!
Hey El Lobo,
Look up Iraq Resolution on Wiki.
Sorry the facts don't match your lib rhetoric.
I believe the contrary is true. It is time for the uneducated to go to school, it's time for the lazy to get off their butts and work, it's time for the welfare moms to close their legs and get jobs, and it's time to close our boarders! More people in the work force brings about more tax money and less people in entitlement programs frees up money for more important public services.
Tea Talk...
"unions will be dead soon. First the public ones. Then soon after, the private ones."
Ha ha ha ha!!!
You wish.
@Sunjon...
"These people: RefNV, Futue, Carmine, Jerry, Bob Jack, and Marl Traeger clearly don't work for a living. The bombardment of this column shows that they sit most of the day, paid by political warped sources or some other hand out, ready to reply over and over to every comment with per-prepared links of unknown veracity or authorship."
Yup!
Like the card flippers on the strip, you know they're there, you know what they want, what they'll say, their whole song & dance, like a broken record...over, & over, & over...
Dead cat bounce TEA. O pulled every Keynesian lever possible and they haven't worked. Americans lack confidence in him and the economic future with him at the helm. He's got to go or the USA will be exactly like Europe: Belly up and bankrupt.
Carmine A. DiFazio
""These people: Carmine clearly don't work for a living.""
You're right. More correctly, work long and hard all my life and still. The day I stop working, I'll stop breathing. As long as God lets me [work], I will.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Ref....
I know exactly where the quote came from....I was having a little fun with you! You should lighten up a bit...
With that being said, the Iraq Resolution was a falbrication put together by the Bush administration. Yes, it was passed by Congress but that hardly means that it was based on factual information...
81 Democrats & all but 7 Republicans voted for it in the House but several of the Democrats later stated that they made a mistake in doing so...
As I stated earlier, there was no real justification for us to invade Iraq. The Bush administration planned the invasion from day #1.
How did John Kerry put it? I voted for it before I voted against it!
Our invasion of Iraq was a major, major mistake & it forced us to take our eyes off of Afghanistan...
If we hadn't gone into Iraq, the war would now be over with in Afghanistan....
Of course, NO WMD's were ever found in Iraq and there's still NO real evidence that Saddam was harboring terrorists....
El Lobo,
This is about the 8th time I've listed this YouTube of all the democrats from the 90's and 2000's, from the Clinton administration to Reid & Pelosi, who stated Saddam had either biological, nuclear or WMD's based on briefings from the intelligence agencies from the 1990's on.
I'll keep linking it for all you liberals who try to re-write history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cwqh4wQPo...
El Lobo,
The 12 to 14 million jobless Americans need some kind of plan to get the economy to create jobs at a faster pace. The current pace will not create enough jobs for new entrants into the workforce. It's clear Obama and the democrats are forgetting about these Americans as we've been stuck on only 58.5% of Americans working for three years now compared to 63% pre-recession.
Ref....
I repeat:
"If we hadn't gone into Iraq, the war would now be over with in Afghanistan....
Of course, NO WMD's were ever found in Iraq and there's still NO real evidence that Saddam was harboring terrorists...."
The economy is slowly improving and would improve much, much faster if the GOP would co-operate with the Democrats in terms of job creation.
I find it interesting that the GOP has absolutely NO plan or clue on how to create jobs other than cutting the budget to the quick & giving tax breaks to the rich and corporate America....
I find it rather strange when the GOP pushes additional tax breaks for the rich, saying that the rich will take the extra money & invest it in job creation...
Considering the fact that the Bush tax cuts have been in place since 2002, I have to ask where are the jobs that was suppose to be created?
I have not as yet heard a right-winger explain that to me....
Where are the jobs?
Where are the jobs?
I've been reading and commenting on these issues for a while and nothing ever changes. Each side in the debate calls the other side names and states they are right and the other side is wrong. Gridlock works well with citizens and elected officials alike - nothing ever gets resolved. Any of you with an IQ greater than your shoe size must realize that both liberals and conservatives have good ideas and terrible ones. What we, as a people, need to do is figure out which ones are really useful and practical for America. Then, as a group of voters, we can force the hand of our folks in Washington and the state capitols. As long as we argue among ourselves, they win and we lose.
Let's look at just one apect of these debates - entitlements. Government help should be available for emergencies and for a short timeframe, perhaps a year. That is a "safety net". When you send out checks every month for generations, that is simply stupid and unsustainable as we are finding out. We cannot possibly tax our way out of our 15 trillion dollar debt even if we taxed everyone at 85% of income. We have to revise the tax code for individuals and business, getting rid of all loopholes, deductions, and exemptions. Then we need a realistic approach to "welfare" as we know it. No one is "entitled" to anything free from the government. We help people because it is the decent thing to do. But there is a limit to this free things mentality.
RefNV: Your Iraq / al Queda comments make me feel sorry for you.
El _Lobo......
You hit the nail on the head about Iraq and
PRESIDENT OBAMA getting re-elected.
I guess it's not a surprise that some delusional
republicans still defend the biggest lie ever told
to the American public.
These republican clowns WILL NEVER change history
OR the facts of the lack of WMD.
THERE WASN'T ANY!!!
REPUBLICANS LIED, AS ALWAYS, AND THOUSANDS DIED!
Now we have a great president who is fixing
THE HUGE MESS that greedy republicans made.
AND YES,
President Obama will EASILY be re-elected.
The majority of Americans won't let Romney
ANYWHERE NEAR the White House!!!
AND the greedy, anti-union clowns who post here
everyday, remind average American workers why they
SHOULD NEVER VOTE for these heartless snakes in
the grass.
NEVER VOTE REPUBLICAN!!!
UNIONS FOREVER!!!
RefNV said:
"But we could have just cleaned up New York and waited on the next attack on US soil, would you have preferred that El Lobo?"
and
"Hey El Lobo,
Look up Iraq Resolution on Wiki."
and
"El Lobo,
This is about the 8th time I've listed this YouTube of all the democrats from the 90's and 2000's, from the Clinton administration to Reid & Pelosi, who stated Saddam had either biological, nuclear or WMD's based on briefings from the intelligence agencies from the 1990's on."
Wow Ref, that's pretty funny, can you help a brother out and clear a few things up for me?
Did or do you believe the birthers too?
Do you think Hillary either killed or had Vince Foster Killed?
Do you believe George Allen was "Just jokin" when he called Shekar Ramanuja (S.R.) Sidarth "Maccaca"?
Do you believe OJ got railroaded, and should be free from the Nevada prison system?
Do you know Obama is a Muslim?
Do you believe Obama is the Anti-Christ?
Do you believe weapons of mass destruction were found in Iraq after Bush the dumber invaded it?
Do you believe gay republicans are smarter than gay democrats?
Do you believe corporations are people?
Do you believe that progressives support the troops where as conservatives use them?
Do you believe that using contractors to feed our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is the most efficient way to feed our troops?
Do you believe a 4 year old boy got a standing ovation in church for singing "Ain't no homo's gonna make it to heaven"? Will you learn the song?
Which right wing poster here suffers from the most extreme case of Pseudologia fantastica ever?
JeffFromVegas,
What I don't believe is your May 29th 4:23pm post stating you were previously a management consultant. The phrases you used are not your typical business vernacular. For example, here is a run down of your phrases:
You were a management consultant talking to the "top 500 US companies about corporate management strategies" of "primarily in between with small and medium sized business".
Top 500 US companies were "small and medium sizes"???
CEO's stated to you that "making more sales" was their biggest challenge.
"making more sales" or did they state increasing sales revenue? CEO's use the latter Jeff.
Jeff, you stated that "Most companies problems are.....family related. Family people are mismatched in their roles in family run businesses".
What??????? The "top 500 US companies" mostly experienced the issue of "Family people being mismatched in their roles in family run businesses" is a ridiculous claim.
"corporate management strategies".
This phrase is interesting.....that's all I'll say about it. LOL
Jeff, you're an exuberant supporter of the anti-business Obama who can't get the job-creating thing going without business. Obama thought he could go it alone for 4 years growing the economy with $861 billion of tax payer's money but it didn't work as only 58.5% of our population is working, a 30 year low. It's going to be tough for you to divert attention away from Obama's lousy economic record for the next 5 months. The American voters have a choice, go with the anti-business Obama, unions or Occupiers to create jobs or the pro-business republican party. It's a simple choice.....economic malaise or prosperity?
"President Obama will EASILY be re-elected." Teamster
Dream on. Won't happen. Get prepared for the inevitable. Romney wins in a close election in Nov 2012. HOuse stays GOP and Senate picks up GOP seats. This isn't 1948 all over again, as some of the Obama camp, like to think and say. O is no Harry S.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Hello RefNV:
You missed at least one. Management consultants rarely if ever express party preferences and ideologies in their professional lives. They remain neutral, even if they are not. Why? Partisan politics limit and define their business perpspective, roles and responsibilities. Plus limit their present and future contracts and engagements. All bad for business if you are a management consultant.
Perhaps the reason Jeff from Vegas has so much free time on his hands.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Carmine,
OMG" Leave Jeff alone already! Carmine you stated, "Perhaps the reason Jeff from Vegas has so much free time on his hands." From an outsiders view, it appears as if the conservative types have all the free time on their hands and are working around the clock. Don't you get tired? Give it a break" move on to something more productive" lighten up. Try civility. You can, I know I have read your past comments. Yes, I am new at this and absolutely shocked by all of the venom, anger, and hostility toward one another. Stop it, be kind.
"President Obama will EASILY be re-elected." Teamster
Of course he will win and we will make sure we do everything we can to make it happen.
RefNV:
I know the truth, and you don't, so nothing you type changes the truth. I know you have trouble with this concept, but you can copy and paste the same thing over and over till your cold little heart bleeds. What you are typing about me is not true, and it cracks me up you are doing it.
But i am glad I didn't tell you what I do for a living now. That would tick me off if you bad mouthed that.
You, as usual, didn't answer any questions, especially the last one:
Which right wing poster here suffers from the most extreme case of Pseudologia fantastica ever?
I will, for one minute, be like you and only answer my own question, the answer is that it is you with the most extreme case of Pseudologia fantastica ever.
Raising taxes on the wealthy will not pay off years and years of the nations debt. But it will help. Every little bit helps.
"Stop it, be kind." kepi
Harry Truman says it best: If you can't stand the heat, stay out of the kitchen.
He gives as good as he gets. Get over it.
BTW, I stand on my assessment and conclusion. Consultant types learn early on to keep partisan politics out of their business vernacular. It's bad for business.
Carmine A. DiFazio
"Try civility. You can, I know I have read your past comments." kepi
You're right, thank you for observing and saying so. BUT, and it's a big BUT, when I get pushed, I push back.
Carmine A. DiFazio
A PS to my post:
The poster you defend from me kepi is one of the most obnoxious, know-it-all, narcistic persons who post here. He deserves all he gets in kind plus more.
Carmine A. DiFazio
Carmine said:
"BTW, I stand on my assessment and conclusion. Consultant types learn early on to keep partisan politics out of their business vernacular. It's bad for business."
Carmine--This may surprise you to learn that the LasVegasSun.com comment boards are not a good place to be soliciting for business of any type.
But you know that and your comments about my past dealings about consulting are sort of enlightening. I have thought you a lot of things, but having a lack of critical thinking skills was not one of them, until now. I had always seen you as having an answer then looking for facts to support that answer, no matter how many degrees off target I am.
This lack is truly surprising. One thing I have always done is accept your working as you have described, as honorable. I despise your politics, but not your work.
My writing style is an emulation of Mike Royko, who along with Molly Ivins are the greatest 2 writers to inhabit American politics since we signed the Declaration of independence. It was Royko who applied the moniker "Governor Moonbeam" to Jerry Brown the first time around, and Molly Ivins who dubbed dubya "Shrub" (as in a small "Bush").
To say that as a former business consultant I should be prohibited from telling the truth about folks who spend all day and night telling lies is pretty lame. I just consider the sources.
Here's a sample of Mike Royko, a man I knew and treasured:
"Several theories have arisen as to what Mayor Daley (the first one) really meant a few days ago when he said:
"If they don't like it, they can kiss my ass."
On the surface, it appeared that the mayor was merely admonishing those who would dare question the royal favors he has bestowed upon his sons, Prince Curly, Prince Larry, and Prince Moe.
But it can be a mistake to accept the superficial meaning of anything the mayor says.
The mayor can be a subtle man. And as Earl Bush, his press secretary, once put it after the mayor was quoted correctly: "Don't print what he said. Print what he meant."
So many observers believe the true meaning of the mayor's remarkable kissing invitation may be more than skin deep.
One theory is that he would like to become sort of the Blarney Stone of Chicago.
As the stone's legend goes, if a person kisses Ireland's famous Blarney Stone, which actually exists, he will be endowed with the gift of oratory.
And City Hall insiders have long known that the kind of kiss Daley suggested can result in the gift of wealth.
People from all over the world visit Blarney Castle so they can kiss the chunk of old limestone and thus become glib, convincing talkers.
So, too, might people flock to Chicago in hopes that kissing "The Daley" might bring them unearned wealth. Daley, or at least his bottom, might become one of the great tourist attractions of the nation.
The Blarney Stone has become part of the living language in such everyday phrases as "You're giving me a lot of blarney."
That could happen here, too. People who make easy money might someday be described as "really having the gift of the Daley bottom."
That is one theory. Another, equally interesting, goes this way: Throughout history, the loyal subjects of kings and other monarchs have usually shown their respect with a physical gesture of some sort.
In some places, it was merely a deep bow or a curtsy when the ruler showed up or departed.
Others, who were even more demanding, required that the subjects kneel or even crawl on all fours. (A few Chicago aldermen engage in this practice.)
In some kingdoms, those who approached the big man were expected to kiss his ring or the hem of his royal clothing.
Daley has already ruled Chicago for longer than most kings reigned in their countries.
At this point, many of his loyal subjects view him as more a monarch than an elected official. It seems obvious that he intends to pass the entire city on to his sons, which is a gesture worthy of a king.
So it would be only natural that he might feel the time has come when he is entitled to a gesture of respect and reverence that befits his royal position.
And what he suggested would be simply a variation of kissing a ring or a hand. Instead of kissing the royal hem, we would kiss the royal ham.
Although I have not read of any king expecting a kiss in precisely the area the mayor described, why not? One of the hallmarks of Chicago is that we do so many things in an original manner.
What other city has made a river flow backwards? What other city makes traffic flow backwards?
And it would be quite original if we had a leader who greeted us backwards.
Where else would a leader turn his back on his people and be cheered for it?
History also tells us that in some ancient kingdoms, a person who had some terrible illness thought he would be cured if he kissed the feet of the king.
Could it be that the mayor is launching a low-cost, and low-slung, health program for us?
I am sure there will be some people who won't want to show their affection for the mayor this way. As one man put it, when he heard what the mayor had said: "If Daley wants me to do that, then he sure has a lot of cheek."
But there also are the loyal followers, typified by radio disc jockey Howard Miller, who declared over the airwaves that the mayor has "more brains in his bottom" than his critics have in their heads.
While I might disagree with Miller on the quantity of cerebral matter, I won't quarrel with the location.
In any case, we will maintain our efforts to find out what the mayor really meant.
We hope to get to the bottom of this story. Or should I say, to the story of this bottom."
Carmine and RefNV: Kiss my Blarney Stone
It is so nice to see that you guys NEVER lose your sense(s?) of humor.
One last post on this thread.
Major league thanks to RefNV, Carmine A. DiFazio (my new Jewish buddy), and TEA (Mark Traeger) for making this the most illustrative thread I have been involved in here.
I have sent this thread to my archives to be given to my family upon my passing away.
You three are the best at what you do!!!
You guys keep on worshiping those Shrunken Heads!
"Carmine" Kiss my Blarney Stone." Jeff
Blarney is exactly what you are full of too. Don't pucker to hard, you might burst.
Carmine A. DiFazio