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The irony of the sequester is that Republican constituants in states where defense contractors are the major employers will feel the effects of this idiotic act most acutely. Will they lay the blame for the pain where it rightly belongs, on their "conservative" representatives and senators, or will they blindly continue to blame the President for this? I guess we will find out come 2014.
Yes, dllh@mac.com (Yogl) couldn't agree more. And it's even worse - the Repugs are willing to throw the US economy to the wolves just to spite Obama (and the rest of the world's economies will follow down the black hole because when America sneezes the rest of the world catches pneumonia). Elections for the US President are so important to the world that I am convinced other countries should have some sort of say in them. Left to themselves the US (Repugs, Teapartiers, etc.) are trashing themselves and everyone else. Oops, sorry, forgot that most of them don't know there's anything outside the 50 states. It makes me so mad.
Of course, there wouldn't be quite as much need for Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act if we had an election system that gave every voter something, instead of keeping nearly half the electorate from having a representative. And if we had a more objective districting system, that would make it even harder to screw people out of having their say in government.
Obama was a relucted participator in this scheme But yes Obama should have stood firm against those who are trying to take down US economy .. once again .
Who knows what millions of low info voters will think ? . US has 800 con radio talk shows plus Fox noise spreading 1/2 truths and misinformation so millions of folks do not get ALL the facts and likely never will.. This Bagger led GOP has been blocking,stalling, filibustering ,holding us hostage since Jan 2009 when Boehner Cantor and McConnell and greedy lobbyist Grover Norquist got together and vowed to make Obama a one term Pres and cause his Waterloo. . That failed but they still do all they can to hold US economy and wages back so they win next election.. How average Americans fare has NO importance to the Bagger GOP's so called ' leaders' Under Bush they never said NO They gave Bush all he asked for and then some 2 Long wars that killed and wasted trillions, huge corp cuts- loopholes galore. ALL unfunded . / kept OFF budget
Their anti middle class/ anti fair wage policies helped lead us to worst crash since 1929 . Bush Paulson 4 page TARP scam / Wall St welfare deal forced Taxpayers to pay these crooks 100 cents on dollar for worthless JUNK..! This congress people are not public servants WE the people SERVE them Great pay- loads of time off, best benefits, they even vote their own raises ..without our say so ! .Robber barons run USA once again as they did almost 100 yrs ago. Many voters are gullible . IN Cicero IL voters put back into power Larry Dominic who has robbed that city . Jackson Jr won by a landlside even though he was under investigation for stealing 3/4 millions bucks from his poor district. and was diagnosed as bipolar in recent months. His wife Sandi was an alderman even as she lived the high life in DC She was paid 5000 K a month ! What a joke on taxpayers. When will voters learn NOT to vote for crooks ?
boobs, dolts, nit wits the whole lot should be fired!!! i wrote boners office the other day and never heard back. yes i was actually tactful. it's tragically laughable to watch as the rape of America continues and us working stiffs are still paying the bills. think about it. 1 trillion plus of corp profits sitting in off shore bank accounts? monster corporations getting tax refunds? Americans getting raped at the gas pumps as the oil companies rake in record profits? and how about all that cap gain i'm seeing come through on this years tax returns that is paying $0 and yet, yes i will repeat myself again, joe the taxi driver and his cute part time topless waitress wife trying to put 4 kids through college will pay this year about $14000 on $87000 of taxable income!!! meanwhile trying to get a refi to fund the college is like jumping through hoops of fire and these are the working folks that never missed a mortgage payment in 20 years and have great credit!!! no bail out for them just more stiffing....PATHETIC!!! United States? yeah right....
Sorry! America and americans appear to be "barking mad
What's this fetish about guns???
Is there any common sense over there???
From the outside you look idiotic yet force your bloody ideas down the world throat... with force because you can!
When you all gonna grow up and act as responsible people and thereby give good account of your country?
Aint you all supposed to be the best an all? Aint you supposed to lead?
You all losing it seems! Nothing more in your empire left except guns and bloody death and war and bloody hopelessness
Whilst creating billionaires
Can not last forever DLH
$85B is small potatoes considering the $1.1T raked off by fraudulent actions by big corporations. Not only that but the Senators can't get an audit of the Pentagon and the 18 or so so-called Intelligence Agencies that seem to get the wrong information to the people making decisions!
If Justice Scalia doesn't think that Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act is simply unconstitutional in the first place, then there's no reason he should vote to nullify it. A law shouldn't be repealed just for being useless (which of course is not the case here). It may be useless because it's having its desired effect. Just as with the existence of labor unions, you may think they've run out of usefulness, but that can only be true because they're still around. Get rid of them, or Section 5, and they will become necessary again.
I couldn't find the tin hats in Thoms store... so how will I protect myself from the NWO?
and I think the poll may (shame on me for thinking) that it says - it will blame republicans whether you vote yes or no...
I'm just teasing, I know it blames republicans regardless of the numbers.
1) if 800,000 federal employees face reduced pay, so should the congress. they made this agreement because they were threatened (ironically by themselves) with a pay cut if they didn't agree to the sequester we face now, and they have passed the threat of losing their own pay... and have no problem holding federal employees hostage. They agreed to this by taxing $400,000 a year incomes to a higher tax rate... now they demand more. is this really negotiating? If they are really speaking for the voter, then put it to a vote and I will agree to the majority rule. Tax $1M at 50% and get it over with.
Kerry had an interesting comment when he was asked (out of his lane) about the sequester. He said a cut in foreign aid would make the US security and econmy unstable... I want him to explain how it is helping to keep it at the level of spending now?
I recently went to the Council On Foreign Relations website where there was an article by this organization on the austerity program in Greece.
I used to listen to Thom's show when he was broadcasting in Los Angeles. I haven't been able to listen to him since his show went off the air but I do not remember him discussing the New World Order and that many it's members of the Council On Foreign Relations directly advise the president on policy matters. For instance, Larry Sommers and Tim Geitner for Obama.
I first heard the term "New World Order" when Bush one made a speech dated Sept. 11, 1991. I had no idea what he meant. Then in 2006, friends of mine told me about a video called info-wars. It was so scary I dismissed it out of hand. But I keep hearing about it. I have a health problem and have been searching for answers on how to best deal with it. In my quest, I came across Dr. Lorraine Day's website. Lo and behold, she talks about the New World Order and the Illuminati. It certainly appears that both she and Alex Jones of infowars are correct. They are trying to warn us of what is happening to America and the world.
As I said, I haven't listened to Thom in quite a while. I wonder if he is exposing the New World Order agenda or is he really aware of it? Having listened to him for years, and knowing how well read he is, I am fairly certain he knows about it.
Supreme Courtesan Scalia: Resign in Disgrace!
Every appalling utterance of Scalia restates the necessity for Term Limits for all Supreme Courtesans. If he won't retire until dead, there should be another way:
Imagine if we simply had an 18 year limit for the Supreme Court in effect back in 2000. We would not have Rehnquist or O’Connor to tamper with the sanctity of the voting process – okay, some would prefer to say “destroy democracy” as they refused to ensure all Florida votes were simply counted correctly. With the sweetest irony, O’Connor would have had to retire under a Democratic president, Bill Clinton. We all know her wish was to retire under a Republican president, and thus she cast the deciding vote that ushered George W Bush into the White House. Term Limits = No Bush. Scalia and Thomas would also not be there to give us Citizens United. And we’d not be looking at Scalia and Friends salivating to eviscerate the Voting Rights Act.
But you may correctly say, "That's a two edged sword that can cut both ways." Under a simple 18 year limit it’s true that one of our greatest liberal Associate Justices, Brennan, would have left the bench in 1974. But I’d add: Any ex-AJ could be nominated again, and I could see Carter putting Brennan back on the court during his term! I can’t imagine the Courtesans Scalia or Thomas being nominated AND approved for a 2nd term. (Unfortunately Carter did not have the opportunity to nominate any AJ. 18 term limits would have given him and every president a chance to put justices onto the bench.)
The idea is not new, some in depth info is available to spur a call to action:
http://epstein.usc.edu/research/supctLawCalabresi.pdf
and
http://www.amazon.com/Reforming-Court-Limits-Supreme-Justices/dp/1594602131
.
The "fiscal cliff"--like the Good Tooth Fairy--is a lie. It is also what is sometimes called a "straw man" argument which is a false argument which may easily lead to false solutions. Now, has excessive spending been a problem? Yes, to some extent as it tends to produce inflation (though the "national debt" is also a kind of lie). The answer? Repeal the "fed" and get back to an honest money system, and cut the military-intelligence budget 50%! Use available monies for vital DOMESTIC PROGRAMS like education, job training, and housing, and for alternative energy/efficient and clean engine research. You do this, and you'll be a real American hero!!
Put another way, the REAL PROBLEM is the "military-intelligence cliff" (and this stupid and fascistic War on Terror). Time to end it now!!!
What is this balance Harry Reid speaks of? Revenue increases and spending reductions do not balance each other, they affect the deficit in the same way. I know they're trying to frame their side as reasonable and centrist (and it is), but the disingenuity of the rhetoric is driving me crazy.
Good to see People are realizing that Austerity measures were Obama's idea as well.
John T. Harvey is an economist who writes a regular column in Forbes. He is a great communicator, is always spot on and writes from an MMT perspective. Here is his latest column regarding the sequester: http://www.forbes.com/sites/johntharvey/2013/02/26/suicide-by-sequestration/
There is also this excellent article in the Nation magazine by economist Dean Baker: http://www.thenation.com/article/173016/fix-debts-fuzzy-math As Dr. Baker points out, the current high deficit was caused by the collapse of the housing bubble which sank the economy. In 2007, immediately before the collapse of the housing bubble, the deficit was only 1.2 percent of GDP !! And it was projected to stay near 1.5 percent well into the current decade, even if the Bush tax cuts were not allowed to expire.
"2950-10K" says: "Can't they for just once screw the billionaire's God Almighty Dollar, respect our democracy, and be responsible with reporting the god damn news [?]"
I wouldn't hold my breath. Those pundits are the enemy. Their role is to placate us with fluff & infotainment, thus upholding a status quo that is choking the life out of our democracy. When the plain truth is something this twisted and ugly, they'll minimize it in an effort to avoid the wrath of the "masses". - Alice I.W.
Here is the sad thing.... where is the uproar in the press! Where are the headlines????? Hey, wait a minute he said it was a "perpetuation of a racial entitlement" --- which entitlement was that.... the entitlement of people of color to vote. Ummm your honor, you said that like it was a bad thing... like people of color should not be entitled to vote.... oh wait.... that is EXACTLY WHAT HE MEANT!
ABC radio news reports that Turtleman says regarding the sequester, there will be no last minute back room deals and absolutely no deals that involve tax increases. TAX INCREASES ON WHO? Let's report the whole truth and nothing but the TRUTH! The vast majority of, we the people, support the tax increases ABC news and their media outlet cousins are afraid to mention. Can't they for just once screw the billionaire's God Almighty Dollar, respect our democracy, and be responsible with reporting the god damn news. The country is headed for an economic collapse and the disinformation is simply a rich mans weapon that will ultimately cause untold pain for vast numbers of hard working citizens. The end to all of this will be just as unpleasant for the billionaires and media whores as it is for those they are stealing from and impoverishing.
pray tell, which societies was he talking about? Like the Dead Kennedys once sang: "brace yourself, my dear, its a Holiday in Cambodia, were you'll do what your told.." . or perchance, 'We've got a bigger problem now', is more appropriate, being that Scalia is drinking the formaldehyde directly from the jar with Hitlers brain in it.
Retire?! Scalia doesn't deserve retirement. I'd rather see that black-robed bigot face a firing squad for his latest assault. Hasn't our democracy been damaged enough?!!!
Right on, Lizzie in Boca! I'm still kicking myself after squandering my vote on Obama a second time. It was definitely a fear vote. Just couldn't stomach the prospect of Empty Suit Romney and Pipsqueak Ryan getting in; those two freaked me out so bad, I couldn't help myself. But like you, I'm sick of hearing those tired old excuses for Obama dropping the ball again & again: on healthcare, on Social Security and those obscene Bush tax cuts for the piggish few, to name three major examples... and Obama's refusal to prosecute war criminals like Bush, Rove & Cheney was such a cop-out. (Remember his lame rationale, "looking foreward not back"? Pathetic.) Let's not forget Obama's murderous drone rampages against "suspected" terrorists and everyone else caught in the crossfire, mowed down by his high-tech death machines. Constitutional scholar, my ASS. Never again will I cast a fear vote! I've learned my lesson, Lizzie.
I have never forgiven LBJ for the Vietnam War. In my mind, that excludes LBJ from the "true progressive" category of legislators. But even that old war monger looks pretty damn good next to Obama, in light of LBJ's much more vigorous efforts towards reducing poverty in this country. Never thought I'd ever catch myself saying such a thing, after all those peace marches I participated in back in the not-so-good ole days.
Thank you for your input, sister. It's a breath of fresh air. I hope to see more input from you. Women are underrepresented in this blog; especially women of color. - Aliceinwonderland
What really ticks me off is that working class citizens form all ethnic backgrounds and from all sexual orientations contribute to the salary and benefits of this bigoted imbecile by the name of Antonin Scalia. We can't fire him and we can't vote him out.
I think Scalia's comment is coming from a very frustrated, conservative ideologue, who knows the game is almost over. No matter how much he desires to suppress the vote, social progressive change is at hand and it's way beyond his control to stop it.
Speaking of beyond his control....will Cantor's Teabaggers go along with his desire to reinstate 60 billion in defense spending for the year? Will they change their minds and embrace what they formerly considered out of control socialist Govt. spending?
It is time for Scalia to retire