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-   -   Congress has lost its mind... (http://cellar.org/showthread.php?t=5891)

classicman 11-30-2011 11:15 AM
An article from Salon on Barney. Admittedly Salon is as far left as they come.
Still this is not the most endearing piece written on someone so many see as Mr. Wonderful.

Link

Lamplighter 11-30-2011 11:59 AM
Short of purchasing the book, Reckless Endangement,
I have been reading reviews of it, and surfing for items
about Barney Frank and the F&F's.

There's a lot of talk about the financial crisis, but when it comes to accusations,
there is little or nothing being said to justify labeling Frank as being "on the take"
or causing F&F to fail, or even having a causal role in the financial collapse.

It's clear he drives the GOP and WSJ crazy, but maybe that's not all bad.
The link you cite above is typical in content to what I have read.
Of course, there is the option is to reject the content based upon the source.

To wit:
Quote:
As Dodd-Frank crept through Congress, it was steadily weakened.
The Senate voted down a ban on a pernicious derivative, naked credit default swaps.
An attack on “too big to fail” — explicit size limitations for financial institutions
— was also kept out of Dodd-Frank,
even though the humongous size of financial institutions made necessary
the bailouts that Congress supposedly despised.
There was no serious limit on executive compensation, even though lust for bonuses
was also a direct cause of the recklessness that nearly sabotaged the economy.
<snip>
Obviously, Frank can’t be faulted for the majority of the shortcomings of Dodd-Frank.
No congressman, no matter how skilled a negotiator, could have made Dodd-Frank
into the market reform mechanism that it was never destined to be.

classicman 11-30-2011 04:39 PM
Quote:
Of course, there is the option is to reject the content based upon the source.
Its from Salon - They would paint him in the absolute BEST light possible.

Lamplighter 11-30-2011 04:52 PM
That the point ... the option is with the reader.

classicman 11-30-2011 08:56 PM
wait what? Salon is very liberal. I'm not getting your point.

Lamplighter 12-01-2011 12:05 AM
Classic, I'll get back to you... probably by PM

TheMercenary 12-02-2011 07:15 AM
One of Barney Franks greatest legacies will be his relationship to a guy who ran a prostitution ring out of his house.

classicman 12-02-2011 12:20 PM
I couldn't care less about that part. His relationships with Fannie/Freddie whom he was supposed to be overseeing and the Countrywide Execs will last far longer and mean much more to me than what some other guy did while Barney was away.

Lamplighter 12-02-2011 12:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 777066)
One of Barney Franks greatest legacies will be his relationship to a guy who ran a prostitution ring out of his house.
Wikipedia - whether you chose to believe this source or not

Quote:
In 1985 Frank was still closeted. That year he hired Steve Gobie for sex,
a male prostitute, and they became friends more than sexual partners.[24]
Frank housed Gobie and hired him with personal funds as an aide, housekeeper and driver
and paid for his attorney and court-ordered psychiatrist.[24]
In 1987 Frank kicked Gobie out after he was advised by his landlord that Gobie
kept escorting despite the support and was doing so in the residence.[24][25]

Later that year Gobie's friends convinced him he had a gay male version of Mayflower Madam,
a TV movie they had been watching.[24] In 1989 Gobie tried to initiate a bidding war
for the story between WUSA-TV (Channel 9), the Washington Times, and The Washington Post.[24]
He then gave the story to The Washington Times for nothing, in hopes of getting a book contract.[25]

Amid calls for an investigation Frank asked the House Ethics Committee
to investigate his relationship "in order to insure that the public record is clear."[26]
The Committee found no evidence that Frank had known of or been involved
in the alleged illegal activity and dismissed all of Gobie's more scandalous claims;
they recommended a reprimand for Frank using his congressional office
to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets and for misstatements of fact in a memorandum
relating to Gobie's criminal probation record.[27]
The House voted 408–18 to reprimand Frank.[28][29]

The attempts to censure and expel Frank were led by Republican Larry Craig,
whom Frank later criticized for hypocrisy[30] after Craig's own arrest in 2007
for lewd conduct while soliciting gay sex in an airport bathroom.[31][32][33]

Frank won re-election that year with 66 percent of the vote,
and has won by larger margins until the 2010 Mid-term elections
when Frank only won by eleven points.[34]

classicman 12-02-2011 03:16 PM
Lamp - In fairness, I was the one that didn't like the Wiki.
I still don't like the way this one is written.
For example,
Quote:
In 1985 Frank hired Steve Gobie, a male prostitute, for sex.
Opinions aside. (no I don't really care.) This is still illegal.
Quote:
In 1987 Frank kicked Gobie out
So ... for two years he knew nothing about what Gobie was doing?
Ignorance, is highly unlikely and almost worse than knowing.

Then the shit hit the fan with Gobie going public ...
Frank was not the best judge of character apparently.
Yet he still paid for his psychiatrist and attorney out of his own pocket.
Yes, thats better than using tax dollars, but still smells fishy.

Quote:
Frank asked the House Ethics Committee to investigate his relationship
"in order to insure that the public record is clear."
IIRC Frank was all but forced to do so.

Quote:
Frank used his congressional office to fix 33 of Gobie's parking tickets.
Abuse of power?

Quote:
and for misstatements of fact in a memorandum relating to Gobie's criminal probation record
.
could also have been stated as "Frank lied to the court/congress/whatever."
Simply put - He lied. Yes he was punished for it with a reprimand which we all realize is not a damn thing in the long run.
I'll stop now.

Lamplighter 12-02-2011 05:16 PM
So submit your edits to Wikipedia, and ask them to fix it.
.

TheMercenary 12-07-2011 09:36 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lamplighter (Post 777200)
- whether you chose to believe this source or not
I do not. Wiki should not be trusted but for only the basic and benign facts that are completely accepted by all. Frank was a sexual predator and the Dems gave him a pass. Good ridden's to the MoFo.

classicman 12-09-2011 02:37 PM

Not new - from October I think, but what a great rant!

BigV 12-09-2011 04:40 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 778676)
I do not. Wiki should not be trusted but for only the basic and benign facts that are completely accepted by all. Frank was a sexual predator and the Dems gave him a pass. Good ridden's to the MoFo.
And that's a perfectly good justification for why your character assassination isn't listed in Wikipedia. Such a statement is not basic, not benign, and not accepted by all. You make his point.

I wonder if you have other sources to back up your claim. Do you?

TheMercenary 12-14-2011 04:59 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by BigV (Post 779149)
And that's a perfectly good justification for why your character assassination isn't listed in Wikipedia. Such a statement is not basic, not benign, and not accepted by all. You make his point.

I wonder if you have other sources to back up your claim. Do you?
People like that fool have legions of followers who manipulate Wiki entries for the very purpose of ensuring the message it delivers. Ask UT about his experience with it. When it comes to controversial statements or one that may cast a high profile person, no less a sitting Congressman, I don't think anything you put up that would be slightly negative would last but a few hours.

ZenGum 12-15-2011 05:19 AM
Wikipedia editors sometimes lock articles which are the subject of edit wars like this.

DanaC 12-15-2011 07:07 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 778676)
I do not. Wiki should not be trusted but for only the basic and benign facts that are completely accepted by all. Frank was a sexual predator and the Dems gave him a pass. Good ridden's to the MoFo.
From Wikipedia's 'What Wikipedia is Not' page:

Quote:
Scandal mongering, something "heard through the grapevine" or gossip. Articles and content about living people are required to meet an especially high standard, as they may otherwise be libellous or infringe the subjects' right to privacy. Articles should not be written purely to attack the reputation of another person.
It seems a little unfair to say that wikipedia 'cannot be trusted' for things that aren't 'basic benign facts that are completely accepted by all' when that is its stated remit. Perhaps better to say that Wikipedia is not there to provide anything but the basic facts as accepted by all, and cannot speak to matters beyond that.

classicman 12-15-2011 10:54 AM
Quote:
basic facts as accepted by all
almost, but not really. It depends upon the subject. This all goes back to the inherent bias we all have.
Rewriting history and all that..
Quote:
cannot speak to matters beyond that.
yet at times it does...

classicman 12-20-2011 09:04 PM
Quote:
If you ever needed any proof that the congress is totally dysfunctional and unable to do anything - even something it wants - their failure to agree on a payroll tax cut extension is it.

Forget who is at fault. They all are for letting it go this far. Both sides are so determined to undermine the other that they can't even figure out how to do something they both want: Extend the payroll tax cut.

If this gridlock continues, it will be a fitting end to a year in which Congress accomplished absolutely nothing.

Nothing, unless you want to give them credit for not allowing the government to shut down. I give them no credit for that because I think that is the least we should expect of the people we send to Washington. Yet, that was what they spent most of their time arguing about.

What made this latest episode more odious than usual, is that by sending the legislation to a conference committee, House Republicans killed Senate legislation but did not have to go on record as saying they had voted to give people a tax increase. But make no mistake. That is exactly what they have done if this stands.

There is a reason that Congress has a 9-percent approval rating, and today's antics are like putting up a neon sign to remind people of it.
Bob Schieffer ...
Couldn't have said it better myself.

glatt 12-21-2011 07:21 AM
Quote:
Forget who is at fault.
why?
We all know it's the relatively new Tea Party representatives. This was a bipartisan deal, passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. And the tools in the Tea Party are the spoilers. They shot it down and offered nothing in return. It's very ironic to me that the Tea Party is the group behind the coming tax increases. It's exactly the opposite of what they say they are about.

classicman 12-21-2011 11:23 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by glatt (Post 781861)
why?
We all know it's the relatively new Tea Party representatives. This was a bipartisan deal, passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. And the tools in the Tea Party are the spoilers. They shot it down and offered nothing in return. It's very ironic to me that the Tea Party is the group behind the coming tax increases. It's exactly the opposite of what they say they are about.
Although I agree with you for the most part, they are all at fault for dicking around until the last moment. They spend way more time on political posturing than they do on actual legislating.
They need to STFU and DO whats right for us, not them.

Lamplighter 12-21-2011 11:33 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by classicman (Post 781923)
Although I agree with you for the most part, they are all at fault for dicking around until the last moment. They spend way more time on political posturing than they do on actual legislating.
They need to STFU and DO whats right for us, not them.
Please tell us how the Dem's can stop dicking around...
... maybe cut unemployment benefits again ... yeah, that's one way.

glatt 12-21-2011 11:40 AM
1 Attachment(s)
The legislators typically dick around until the last minute, until the pressure is really on and they then make a last minute deal. I don't approve of that governing style, but it's the way it has been forever. What's different now, is that they are dicking around until the last minute, they make a deal, and then the Tea Party spoils it and now they have mostly all gone home for the holidays while the middle class gets to face their unemployment benefits being stopped and their paychecks being cut. Merry fucking Christmas, America. Brought to you by the Tea Party.
Attachment 36107

BigV 12-21-2011 12:08 PM
No.

No, they're not all at fault, that is what the *bad* ones want you to think. "I'm bad, I'll just fuck up the whole parade, and then my badness will blend in with the rest. My badness will be covered up, the good work of others, my enemies, will be covered up. It is my goal to make it all look bad." I think it's important to assess each issue on its own merits, and each member on their own merits.

AS A GROUP, Congress is seriously fucked up. On this we agree. But that is not because "they are all at fault" equally. In this most recent ... event, I place the most blame for what's happened, that is what has not happened, on Boehner. He's the leader of the party that is in charge of the agenda in the House. The House is where this is stopped, and in the most craven way. I like how he/they have caused the process to fail (for the moment) by a parliamentary procedure, and *not* by an actual vote. I am weary of this kind of behavior. It is a perversion of our system, evidence of a corruption of those in charge.

SamIam 12-21-2011 12:51 PM
I blame both Boehner and the Tea Party idiots. Boehner is the leader of the House Republicans. All he had to do is tell them we are voting on this bill NOW. You know, lead already. Instead, he hides behind the skirts of this minority group and whines, "The Tea Party made me do it!" Pfffft!

Agree with Glatt's comments.

TheMercenary 12-23-2011 07:35 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by glatt (Post 781928)
The legislators typically dick around until the last minute, until the pressure is really on and they then make a last minute deal. I don't approve of that governing style, but it's the way it has been forever. What's different now, is that they are dicking around until the last minute, they make a deal, and then the Tea Party spoils it and now they have mostly all gone home for the holidays while the middle class gets to face their unemployment benefits being stopped and their paychecks being cut. Merry fucking Christmas, America. Brought to you by the Tea Party.
Attachment 36107
Don't you love how they paid for it?

TheMercenary 12-23-2011 07:37 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by glatt (Post 781861)
why?
We all know it's the relatively new Tea Party representatives. This was a bipartisan deal, passed overwhelmingly in the Senate. And the tools in the Tea Party are the spoilers. They shot it down and offered nothing in return. It's very ironic to me that the Tea Party is the group behind the coming tax increases. It's exactly the opposite of what they say they are about.
No really true. They offered a package already that passed the House. They just rejected the Senate package, not the same as, "shot it down and offered nothing in return."

SamIam 12-23-2011 09:37 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary
Don't you love how they paid for it?
The Senate's two-month version continues the payroll tax and jobless benefits at this year's levels and costs $33 billion. The bargainers agreed to pay for that by raising fees people pay for new mortgages or refinancing insured by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage companies. For a $200,000 mortgage, the fee increase would raise a borrower's cost about $17 a month.

BFD. Why are you weeping crocodile tears over THAT? :rolleyes:

classicman 12-23-2011 10:53 AM
Quote:
The bargainers agreed to pay for that by raising fees people pay for new mortgages
That will surely help the housing market. :rolleyes:

TheMercenary 12-23-2011 11:44 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by SamIam (Post 782458)
The Senate's two-month version continues the payroll tax and jobless benefits at this year's levels and costs $33 billion. The bargainers agreed to pay for that by raising fees people pay for new mortgages or refinancing insured by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the government-backed mortgage companies. For a $200,000 mortgage, the fee increase would raise a borrower's cost about $17 a month.

BFD. Why are you weeping crocodile tears over THAT? :rolleyes:
Nope, but where is the whine about taxing the middle class? The problem that I have with it is 1) it is a tax on a system that is already broken and is financially supported with taxpayer dollars and bailouts and 2) it sets a bad precedent to tax a narrow part of a semi-private business to fund general taxation, slippery slope. The financial pain is minimal. But the whole deal only does what Obama and the Dems have done repeatedly, kick the can down the calendar and deal with it another day or in the case of Obamacare, kick the tax and enactment of the majority of the law down the lane and make someone else deal with his mess. If they wanted to really deal with it they should have taken the Senate plan and added a 1 year extension to it. The bottom line the payroll tax is just another income tax that goes to the general fund and is not something special, they should do away with it.

classicman 12-23-2011 11:46 AM
Quote:
But the whole deal only does what ALL POLITICIANS have done repeatedly, kick the can down the calendar and deal with it another day
ftfy

TheMercenary 12-23-2011 02:27 PM
First time I saw it where it was going to effect so many people with new taxes is with Obamacare. Do you have any examples of similar Bills before Obama that did that and affected so many people so widely?

classicman 12-23-2011 04:43 PM
They've been kicking the can ... well ... like ... forever pretty much. We just didn't know about it as much.
Something as large as the HCRA? That will pretty much limit the others, no? Its scope alone makes it unique in many ways. The tie of employment and healthcare will be broken soon, as it should be. Who and how it gets paid for will be dealt with over time. Will it be fair, equitable ... probably not, but it is the right thing to do. If some would just stop bitching about caring for their fellow man and spend more time working on the implementation, we'd all be far better off.

classicman 12-30-2011 12:00 AM
Got this in an email ...
Quote:
If you or anyone you know is looking for a job right now, take a look at this opening... and please pass it on to anyone you might know.

Base pay - right off the bat - is $174,100 a year. And you don't need any experience to qualify.

People with all kinds of backgrounds have held this job.

Carpenters, police officers, accountants, taxi drivers, volunteer firemen, musicians, dentists, engineers, farmers, nurses, bank tellers, ministers, driving instructors... Even a tollbooth operator has held this position.

And little education is required, either. Twenty-seven people currently holding one of these jobs have no more than a high-school diploma. And even that isn't required. Not even a GED.

Not bad, considering you'll never have to worry about money again.

In fact, practically every other colleague you'll meet in this job is a millionaire - or multimillionaire.

And in addition to an instant six-figure salary, you'll get three retirement plans. I'm not kidding. This is absolutely true.

You'll be eligible for Social Security benefits, of course, like everyone else. But you'll also get a 401(k)-like plan that "matches" up to 5%. And you'll get an increasingly rare chance to participate in a pension plan, too - a good one. How good?

Even if you only last five years on the job, you're guaranteed an immediate, full pension when you retire at age 62... or at age 50 if you've worked 20 years... or at any time after you've worked 25 years.

You'll collect nearly 44% of your six-figure salary, depending on how long you worked.

Hard to believe, I know... especially these days. So please, if you know someone with good character who's looking for a job, listen up... Because the position gets even better...

While most Americans are paying out the nose for health insurance (and getting less of it) this job comes with the best healthcare money can buy. You'll get to choose from 10 different first-rate plans.

And if you have a preexisting condition, that's okay. You'll be fully covered anyway.

You'll even have the option of visiting a doctor on site, whenever you want.

Or working out in a top-flight gym - for free...

Or taking a spin in your free "company" car, burning all the free gas you can buy...

Or parking it - for free - at the two regional airports near headquarters, which comes in handy...

Once you get this job, you'll be able to fly almost anywhere in the world for free... and make even more money while you're doing it. That's because you'll receive a per diem travel allowance... and get to keep whatever you don't spend - up to $3,000 per trip.

These are just a few of the job's perks. But here's the best part... You barely have to work.

In fact, most of the people who hold this job work only three days a week. And they all enjoy more than a month of paid vacation every year on top of it... often much more.

This may be hard to believe, but it's absolutely true.

Now, if you'd like to apply for one of these openings, there are only two qualifications:

You must be at least 25 years old. And you have to be a U.S. citizen for at least the last nine years. That's it.

The only drawback is that you must be willing to travel to Washington, D.C. from time to time. But only when you really want to, between jaunts to Martha's Vineyard.

And things get even better...

That's because the annual salary is not all the money you can make in this job.

You see, when members of Congress leave office, they can still keep spending the Political Action Committee PAC money on whatever they please... until it's gone.

Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD), for example, has spent $50,807 this way at the Boulders Resort in Carefree, Arizona. And Rep. Pete Sessions of (R-TX), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, has spent $49,739 at several Las Vegas sites, including Dos Caminos, a restaurant that brags about its "vibrant bar scene."

Who's got time to worry about some "debt ceiling" when there's so much extra cash to burn?

But it's not just about the extra money...

Members of Congress can also increase their existing wealth... in ways the rest of us aren't allowed.

If, for example, Congress is considering a law that would help or harm a particular industry, members are free to use that information to buy or sell stock. So it's totally legal for them to personally profit from insider information.

The most popular investment among members of Congress? General Electric, in which 82 current members are invested.

Members also get a special tax deduction of $3,000 to write off living expenses when away from their congressional districts or home states. And, of course, the value of most of the other perks is not taxable.

I mean, why tax that income when you can simply add to our country's debt problems?

Let's face it... Our "representatives" are officially out of touch. They have no idea how real Americans live on a day-to-day basis.

I don't know about you, but I'm ready to stop filling up 535 extra gas tanks each week...

Especially when 58% of Congress members are millionaires. And the "non-millionaires" are doing just fine.

The median wealth of a House member in 2009 was $765,010.

For a senator, it was $2.38 million.

Despite what they tell us, working in Congress is not a "Public Service." It's a job - an incredibly lucrative one.

We believe it's too lucrative. And it's time for it to stop. It's time to send a message.

Congress should be watching out for us - not profiting off of us. In fact, it's time for Congress to live like we do. We believe members of the U.S. Congress should be subjected to the same economic realities the rest of us must face.

If you're ready to stop filling up 535 extra gas tanks a week... stop paying for your representative's gym membership...or taking care of his parking tickets (Yes, we pay for those, too.)... Or funding their extra retirement plan...

Then take a second to let your voice be heard. Vote today. We need as many votes as possible.

We're going to make the results public and share the poll results with major media outlets across the country. Our goal? To eliminate their excessive, taxpayer-funded perks and make Congress pay its own way... just like the rest of us. No more freebies.

The more votes we have, the better chance of getting our voices heard.

So are you ready? Are you ready to start making these people live like the rest of us?

We are. And now we're ready to do something about it.

You can vote right here. And if you know anyone else who would like to stop buying gourmet soups and sandwiches for rich people on Capitol Hill every day, pass this on.

Yours truly,
Dunno anything about it, just thought I'd throw it out here...

TheMercenary 01-06-2012 08:06 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by classicman (Post 782547)
If some would just stop bitching about caring for their fellow man and spend more time working on the implementation, we'd all be far better off.
Well that is not how things work in a society of a Right to "pursue happiness".

infinite monkey 01-06-2012 08:06 PM
You're just being ridiculous. Cut it out. ;)

TheMercenary 01-06-2012 08:08 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by infinite monkey (Post 785725)
You're just being ridiculous. Cut it out. ;)
Just pointing out the obvious! :p:

infinite monkey 01-06-2012 08:09 PM
As you are wont to do. :)

TheMercenary 01-06-2012 08:11 PM
Now where is my spoon? I feel fatness coming on.... Hi ya Rosie! Let me show ya my "gun".

infinite monkey 01-06-2012 08:29 PM
Quit pointing that spoon at me, will you?

I didn't ask to have a spoon pointed at me, unless it's in my own cold, dead hands. :lol:

classicman 01-06-2012 10:01 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by TheMercenary (Post 785724)
Well that is not how things work in a society of a Right to "pursue happiness".
Given that "they" are elected to give the population the best way forward in that pursuit of happiness,that's exactly their job.

TheMercenary 01-12-2012 07:36 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by classicman (Post 785747)
Given that "they" are elected to give the population the best way forward in that pursuit of happiness,that's exactly their job.
To bad that few of them end up doing that. Some may have entered the job with good intentions but after a little bit of arm twisting by special interests and senior members not many end up just like the others, looking out for themselves and their hold on power.

classicman 01-17-2012 01:34 PM
AP source: House Republicans got discounted loans
Quote:
WASHINGTON (AP) – Two veteran House Republicans received discounted mortgage loans from the now-defunct
Countrywide Financial Corp. under a VIP program, a congressional official said Friday.
The discounts went to Reps. Howard McKeon and Elton Gallegly of California, said the official, who was not authorized to
speak publicly about the loans and requested anonymity. Their identities were first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been investigating whether members of Congress received
VIP discounts. The Associated Press reported previously that four House members had received the discounts.
One of the four remains unidentified publicly.

Records show that Rep. Edolphus Towns, D-N.Y, also received discounts.
Link
wai what? What did that headline say again and who was conveniently omitted entirely?

Quote:
Senators Christopher Dodd, Democrat from Connecticut and chairman of the Banking Committee,
and Kent Conrad, Democrat from North Dakota, chairman of the Budget Committee and a member of the Finance
Committee, refinanced properties through Countrywide's "V.I.P." program in 2003 and 2004
link
I know they are senators, but still should have been mentioned in the article regardless of that.

classicman 01-17-2012 05:32 PM
Sorry, I forgot one...
Quote:
The son of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Paul Pelosi Jr., has worked as a sales manager and loan officer for Countrywide in the San Francisco Bay Area and received about $1 million in loans from Countrywide on a condo. The younger Pelosi, 39, who holds a law degree and an MBA from Georgetown University, obtained a $916,000 mortgage from Countrywide in 2004 and a $114,500 line of credit the same year.

ZenGum 01-17-2012 08:51 PM
A bit off topic, but not worthy of its own thread ... and it's a stoopid polly thing ...

In South Australia, we hold a (world class) cycling race called Tour Down Under. Last year Lance Armstrong rode in it, his last international race.

A week back, our state premier decided to go to Texas to present the keys to the city of Adelaide to Lance Armstrong.

You'd think that someone, somewhere in the premier's staff, would have thought to check whether Mr Armstrong was actually going to be at home to receive them. :headshake :facepalm:

TheMercenary 01-18-2012 07:22 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by classicman (Post 788602)
AP source: House Republicans got discounted loans

Link
wai what? What did that headline say again and who was conveniently omitted entirely?



link
I know they are senators, but still should have been mentioned in the article regardless of that.
:thumb: Good evidence of the continued bias in our mainstream news. And people wonder why Fox News has been the number one source of news on cable for the majority for like 8 years in a row.

glatt 02-29-2012 08:32 AM
I'm sad to see Senator Snowe taking her ball and going home. Will there be any moderates after she leaves? I honestly can't think of a single one.

Happy Monkey 02-29-2012 11:18 AM
No moderate Republicans, but plenty on the Democratic side. That's why healthcare got so watered down despite the size of the Democratic majority.

classicman 02-29-2012 11:24 AM
From last year and it is only getting worse.
Quote:
The polarization between right-leaning Republicans and liberal Democrats has led to the vilification of any GOP members who even consider compromise with the other side, the Globe reports. This has been evident in recent weeks during the debt talks. Though polls indicate Republican voters would support a combination of spending cuts and tax increases, party leaders remain staunchly opposed to any revenue increases.

“Moderates were an endangered species, and now it’s just about an extinct species,” said Connie Morella, a moderate Republican and former Maryland congresswoman. “Republican leaders feel they need to be loyal to their party because there could be repercussions if they are not. They are afraid it might be held against them in the next election, and that’s a really difficult kind of prison to be in.”

Morella is concerned that many disaffected moderates are withdrawing their Republican Party registration and either becoming independents or removing themselves from the political scene altogether.

“I’m exasperated with all of it,” Sarah Emberley, a 50-year old Republican, told the Globe. “Our leadership is stuck. The Republican agenda is stuck. And the moderate voice has gotten lost in the whole rhetoric.”
Link

Spexxvet 02-29-2012 11:46 AM
Classic, from where is that?

Lamplighter 02-29-2012 11:46 AM
Do you ever wonder what the economy would be like now if back in 2009,
the Republicans had not taken the position of "Anyone but Obama".

They missed so many opportunities to make the US a better country,
as in foreign policy, infrastructure, job growth, etc.

Instead, they let the bugs crawl out of the woodwork.
McConnell and Boehner and others looked the other way,
and now the infestation is dominating the GOP campaign.

Our family has a saying:
Wish in one hand, spit in the other, and see which gets full first.
I'm thinking the hands of McConnall and Boehner are very dank.

classicman 02-29-2012 12:15 PM
@spexx - added link to post

classicman 05-31-2012 12:06 PM
Congress ... Senate - same shit different party.
Whether you agree with the man politically, I think he hits on some issues that are majorly messed up.



If you just don't care ... Its kind of humorous to watch the people around him.

infinite monkey 05-31-2012 01:38 PM
Nice Tantrum of the Temper there. Is he one of those 10 year old boys with that disease that makes him look really old?

'Cause, yikes.

Cyber Wolf 05-31-2012 01:43 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by classicman (Post 813475)
Congress ... Senate - same shit different party.
Whether you agree with the man politically, I think he hits on some issues that are majorly messed up.

If you just don't care ... Its kind of humorous to watch the people around him.
He's just trying to bring the usually boring spectacle of governing body politics in line with some of the parliaments of the rest of the world... some places have governing members that throw stuff, knock furniture over and some have what might as well be UFC matches on their floor.

infinite monkey 05-31-2012 01:48 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Cyber Wolf (Post 813498)
He's just trying to bring the usually boring spectacle of governing body politics in line with some of the parliaments of the rest of the world... some places have governing members that throw stuff, knock furniture over and some have what might as well be UFC matches on their floor.
Governments in third worlds like? Like how they kill each other and riot at their soccer games sometimes? Yeah, no, we want to be a little more civilized than that, don't we?

classicman 05-31-2012 03:14 PM
o your homework on the situation. The leadership has been doing this for YEARS.
They give you a 200 page bill and expect you to vote on it in an hour. THEN, when there is something bad in it they use it against you in the next election.
Yeh, politics as usual. :/

Also, he has been saying this for years. Its BS and everyone knows it. How long would YOU put up with that shit before snapping?

infinite monkey 05-31-2012 03:34 PM
I've put up with a whole hell of a lot of shit before 'snapping.' Then again, I've never been a pasty old grub worm looking impotent man in a powerful post.

"The leadership" (whom exactly, this leader? Other leaders. Got a list of leaders who act like that. All of them? Some? Half?) "They give you a 100 page bill and expect..."(Who expects? The leaders? The leadership who ask like that? Or all leaders, not just the buffoons?) "THEN, when there is something bad in it they use it against you in the next election." (Who used what bad thing in it against whom in the next election?)

I'm entirely confused, so I'll just stick with this:

I don't know or care what his little temper tantrum was about. He looked like a God Dam Fool (lol) and if I were next to him I'd smack him upside the face and say "SNAP OUT OF IT."

Loser baby boy...easy peasy. Not even a man. Just a baby boy with a baby temper.

"lookin' like a fool
With your rants on the ground..." :p:

classicman 05-31-2012 11:30 PM
Or don't learn about the situation ... your choice. You could go off on a rant (see above)
Whatever. If you actually knew what the situation is, you might feel differently. or not.

DanaC 06-01-2012 03:50 AM
Fascinating...it's like that bit in Broadcast News, when the anchor completely loses it.

I have no idea really what that was about. But the sense of frustration and being hemmed in by rules and regulations, custom and expectation whilst the people who voted you in think you can do so much more. Think you have so much more power than you ever really do. Thinking you can speak and get things done when in fact four fifths of what the body you serve does is mandated down to the least detail. That's a frustration I recognise.


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