Congress has lost its mind...

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by The Mercenary

Slanted political view, but one I happen to agree with...

No, Really?

Originally Posted by Griff

Interesting tidbit of the day: Standard and Poor's is a division of McGraw Hill. Feel free to connect any dots you find important.

What am I missing? Where are the dots?

I don't know about the S & P/McGraw Hill conspiracy, but I do know that anyone who refuses to make payments on his debts is going to have his credit rating reduced. The US should not be surprised to be held to a similar standard.

There's a saying that a people get the government they deserve. I don't know that it's especially true, but at this point, the Teabaggers certainly have the government they deserve. I cannot believe how irresponsible Congress has been, playing the party line and idealogies to the complete detriment of the nation. The right wing has been the worst culprit in this by their refusal to re-instate taxes. They are like children who want something for nothing, and everything and everyone in this nation from education to the military to seniors to children suffer as a result.

Pfffft!

[Griff]

McGraw Hill is invested very heavily in the Republican backed NCLB. They sell the textbooks and the standardized tests that the books teach to. They are very tight with the Bush family and Harold McGraw is a Romney supporter. To view them as neutral observers is a mistake even if their conclusion to down-grade is reasonable. Also remember that these are the same birds who gave a AAA rating to mortgage backed securities.

[SamIam]

Thank you. I knew McGraw Hill is a text book publisher, but didn't realize that it also publishes the S & P and lives in the Republican's back pockets. Jeez, wheels within wheels.

[Trilby]

Originally Posted by Griff

McGraw Hill is invested very heavily in the Republican backed NCLB. They sell the textbooks and the standardized tests that the books teach to. They are very tight with the Bush family and Harold McGraw is a Romney supporter. To view them as neutral observers is a mistake even if their conclusion to down-grade is reasonable. Also remember that these are the same birds who gave a AAA rating to mortgage backed securities

Yeah, so why is anyone taking them seriously? They should be in prison.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by SamIam

I don't know that it's especially true, but at this point, the Teabaggers certainly have the government they deserve.

No, Really? "Teabaggers"? Really? How the hell could a minority group have the government they deserve? How does that work?

I cannot believe how irresponsible Congress has been, playing the party line and idealogies to the complete detriment of the nation. The right wing has been the worst culprit in this by their refusal to re-instate taxes. They are like children who want something for nothing, and everything and everyone in this nation from education to the military to seniors to children suffer as a result.

Get off your high horse. God damm Dems are no better. They ran up the credit cards exponentially in the last few years and now want everyone to figure out how to pay for it. And the rest of the sane people have asked at every boondoggle of a BS spending bill passed, "How are you going to pay for it?". Obamacare is a perfect example, the Dems and Obama played smoke and mirrors with the costs and how it was going to "pay for itself", what hose shit. They fudged the numbers to the GAO to make it look like a bed of roses, everybody gets what they want..... it will break the bank. The Stimulus package! "Hundreds of Thousands of Shovel Ready Jobs", more BS, unemployment rate still above 9% and no end in site. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid OWN it.. Downgrading of US for the first time in history! Obama and the Dems own it... The Republickins have their share, but they don't OWN it like the Dems do, not by a long shot. Guess we will see in 2012.... How'd that work out for the Dems in 2010?

[SamIam]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

No, Really? "Teabaggers"? Really? How the hell could a minority group have the government they deserve? How does that work?

You don't need to go all coy on me, Merc. There's plenty of examples of substantial minority groups swinging a party by its tail. A recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll showed 35% of potential voters support the Tea Party and they favor the Republicans by 84% - That's a nice little chunk of the vote as shown by the 2010 elections when Tea Party-endorsed candidates upset established Republicans in several primaries, such as Alaska, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Nevada, New York, South Carolina and Utah. (I got my stats from Wikipedia if anyone cares.)

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Get off your high horse. God damm Dems are no better. They ran up the credit cards exponentially in the last few years and now want everyone to figure out how to pay for it. And the rest of the sane people have asked at every boondoggle of a BS spending bill passed, "How are you going to pay for it?". Obamacare is a perfect example, the Dems and Obama played smoke and mirrors with the costs and how it was going to "pay for itself", what hose shit. They fudged the numbers to the GAO to make it look like a bed of roses, everybody gets what they want..... it will break the bank. The Stimulus package! "Hundreds of Thousands of Shovel Ready Jobs", more BS, unemployment rate still above 9% and no end in site. Obama, Pelosi, and Reid OWN it.. Downgrading of US for the first time in history! Obama and the Dems own it... The Republickins have their share, but they don't OWN it like the Dems do, not by a long shot. Guess we will see in 2012.... How'd that work out for the Dems in 2010?

No thanks. I like the view from up here. The feeling of deja vu is interesting too. This stuff has only been argued about a million times before on this forum with no one's mind changed one iota. All, I'll say is that by refusing to pay taxes like any other responsible citizens would, the tea flavored Republicans are just as much at fault or more than the democrats.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by SamIam

All, I'll say is that by refusing to pay taxes like any other responsible citizens would, the tea flavored Republicans are just as much at fault or more than the democrats.

You mean the 47% of Americans that don't pay Federal Income tax? All, I'll say is that by refusing to pay taxes like any other responsible citizens would, the Demoncrats who cry out that they want every entitlement under the sun are just as much at fault or more than the republickins, as long as they don't have to pay for it, we call them Zero Liability Voters.

And now they are just "tea flavored" not as you call them "Teabaggers"? Why the change of heart?

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

Demoncrats

You really should stop using the term 'Demoncrat'. It undercuts any rational argument you attempt to make.

That being said, I am envious since even if I were so inclined to retaliate, which I am not, I cannot think up a similar term for Republicans.

Resnublicans?

Reflublicans?

Repub-asslicans?

GOP is a bit easier:

Bland-old-party

[Spexxvet]

rePUBICans.

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by Spexxvet

rePUBICans.

Darn. Completely missed that one. So much better than my ideas.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by richlevy

You really should stop using the term 'Demoncrat'. It undercuts any rational argument you attempt to make.

That being said, I am envious since even if I were so inclined to retaliate, which I am not, I cannot think up a similar term for Republicans.

Resnublicans?

Reflublicans?

Repub-asslicans?

GOP is a bit easier:

Bland-old-party

I am equal opportunity user of the term Demoncrat as I call Republicans Republickins!

[richlevy]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

You mean the 47% of Americans that don't pay Federal Income tax?

Let's see. You state %47 of Americans. You do not state 47% of adult Americans. I am refraining from checking your figure on Snopes at this point through an extreme act of will.

So first let me state that I consider the fact that the government is not taxing my 2-year-old grandson to be something of a victory.

Also, there is not much point at taxing people at the poverty level, since any money you have to take away from them would have to be returned to them in the form of assistance, at least until some people are finished completely shredding the safety net.

I agree the fact that there is such a large percentage of people who do not pay taxes is disturbing, but for a different reason. This is a symptom of the larger problem which is a wealth distribution system that has become more and more dysfunctional in the past few decades. With unrealistic tax cuts, we have stolen from the public treasury to enrich a small segment of our population at the expense of everyone else. This should not be possible in a democracy unless you are able to find a large enough number of people who are willing to vote against their collective self-interest in a fiscally sound government. The Republicans have found a way to do so.

If you don't like the %47 number, become a Democrat and find a way to help them become richer.

[TheMercenary]

Originally Posted by richlevy

Let's see. You state %47 of Americans. You do not state 47% of adult Americans. I am refraining from checking your figure on Snopes at this point through an extreme act of will.

So first let me state that I consider the fact that the government is not taxing my 2-year-old grandson to be something of a victory.

Well thank God for that.

Also, there is not much point at taxing people at the poverty level, since any money you have to take away from them would have to be returned to them in the form of assistance, at least until some people are finished completely shredding the safety net.

Agreed.

I agree the fact that there is such a large percentage of people who do not pay taxes is disturbing, but for a different reason. This is a symptom of the larger problem which is a wealth distribution system that has become more and more dysfunctional in the past few decades. With unrealistic tax cuts, we have stolen from the public treasury to enrich a small segment of our population at the expense of everyone else. This should not be possible in a democracy unless you are able to find a large enough number of people who are willing to vote against their collective self-interest in a fiscally sound government. The Republicans have found a way to do so.

This is a Republic, not a democracy. This focus on wealth distribution is a problem because unless you plan to forcibly take money legally earned through the capitalistic model of the Free Market you would have to be going against the very essence of our Constitution. A simple change in our current tax structure would solve many of our problems.

If you don't like the %47 number, become a Democrat and find a way to help them become richer.

No, they are as evil as the Republickin's and rely on victimhood to keep them in office.

[Griff]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

You mean the 47% of Americans that don't pay Federal Income tax?

Stewart used this graphic Thursday night. To paraphrase, the reason they have no skin in the game is that they have no skin. They do however continue to pay non-payroll taxes.

[tw]

Originally Posted by TheMercenary

No, Really? "Teabaggers"? Really? How the hell could a minority group have the government they deserve? How does that work?

Easy. Congress works only when members are intelligent. And work for America. A mentally deficient minority can easily subvert everything - in the tradition of George Jr and hate.

Anyone knows a Congress dominated by a mentally deficient, wacko extremist minority is subverted. Why would anyone post otherwise? This mental midget minority (that now dominates the Republican party) intentionally tried to put America into default. Then said default was not harmful due to soundbyte logic and insufficient education. Only the most easily brainwashed would say that wacko minority could not create harm.

A man who bothered to become educated defined the problem. NY Times on 15 Aug 2011 published a Warren Buffet's "Stop Coddling the Super-Rich".

While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks.

Only the dumbest of Americans say that is good. That the richest should have a 500% increase while an average American has seen his income *drop* 2% (before a George Jr created recession). Only the most brainwashed would say that was good.

Buffett was on Charlie Rose on 16 Aug to further define the problem:

So what do we do? Right as the engines start, I throw out my steering wheel. Now you believe me, right? Well, Boehner didn’t throw out the steering wheel, McConnell didn’t throw out the steering wheel but a group behind them said "Throw out the steering wheel, Mr. Speaker and make those people realize that we’re not going to agree to anything unless we get our way." And -- and if you have a sane person dealing with somebody that you feel may be insane, by that point when they draw the steering wheel you feel they’re insane "you lose". And the American people lost, incidentally.

Buffett: People do not want to see the instruments of government used as weapons the whole idea of the -- of the -- of the law that’s a shield not a sword. I mean the minority has become the sword in this respect. And I don’t blame this on Speaker Boehner. And I think that he -- I think that he -- ...
Rose: He had members of the Tea Party --
Buffett: The people that said -- the people when back in the back room said -- said to him, "You’re not going to have our support if you go in there and bend an inch on this." They said throw away the steering wheel.

Wackos love to destroy rather than compromise. Extremists as intolerant as bin Laden and Milosevic threatened to backstab the Speaker maybe three times because Boehner was compromising with Obama. Because Boehner was working to advance America as only an intelligent person would do. Wackos want government to default. To destroy America so that Obama will fail. And then said a default is not harmful. Would blame Obama rather than admit to their own brainwashing.

TheMercenary, using cheapshot language and a mocking tone, says that cannot harm government. Buffett said otherwise - quite bluntly and with example. Wackos openly coddle the super-rich. The most easily brainwashed even say default would be good - because they want Obama and America to fail. Only an adult who is still a child would believe wacko extremists are not harming America.

"And the American people lost, incidentally." Only the dumbest or most brainwashed among us would deny that. How many more trophies to zero intelligence do we create? Constellation, Ares, and Orion? Bernie Maddoff? Enron? Protecting criminals who invented a CA energy crisis? Protecting bin Laden? Mission Accomplished? A housing bubble intentionally created to avert recession. Hydrogen as a fuel? Ethanol. Man to Mars. White House lawyers rewriting science papers. Hate of Muslims in lower Manhattan. Protecting Wall Street bandits. Subverting the American hybrid because it was created by Clinton. Put Social Security in the stock market. More children left behind. Destroying the Oslo Accords. All disasters advocated by wacko extremists and approved by TheMercenary who now says wackos do not create harm. Buffett proves otherwise.