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I get pretty sick of hearing the Faux News line that taxing the rich won't fix the national deficit. They always put it in terms of the tax take from ONLY the rich and the shortfall that will have in clearing away the deficit IN ONE YEAR. Obviously Republicans don't think about the lie of any country trying to clear all of a recession busting deficit IN ONE YEAR. They just keep drinking the corporate Kool-Aid.
@Kend: To create jobs there has to be demand for goods and services. Here in Australia, our government understands that, and stimulated the economy by handing the stimulus money to consumers. A move that they were resoundingly criticised for here, by the local conservatives, and loudly praised for, by economists all over the world. In the US and EU, they handed the money to the supply side and......Nothing happened. The supply siders just salted it away in the Caymans in secret accounts, while they continued to sack workers because there was no demand. Giving tax breaks to the corporations and the wealthy DOES NOT CREATE JOBS. Only demand creates jobs, and demand comes from consumers. In order for consumers to consume, they have to have some disposable income. The corporate "geniuses" keep pushing wages and conditions down and then wonder why demand dries up. They can't see further than next year's bonus.
Regarding 'secession,' propose the following:
List the federal programs such as border protection, coverage by U. S. military, military basing, highway funding, Medicare, Medicaid, social security disability insurance, etc. along with the federal dollars funding them. Then propose an orderly phase-out over five years of the programs which would be terminated in the order that the State Legislatures approve. Since the red states receive more from Washington than they send, it won't take long to estimate how much in additional taxes would be required to maintain services and decide what will be discontinued altogether. Five years allows two election cycles for the citizenry to decide whether they might want new reps. That might bring an end to the crazies' influence within the Republican Party forever. (Except for the billionaires, of course.)
I watched a lengthy discussion of the potential cuts to defense this morning on C-Span and it was the general consensus that this cut would do not harm to the DOD. Of the $500B cut, a 10% cut to private defense contractors would save $300B alone, which would allow for waste cutting in that sector. Many other areas that are no longer needed would make up the rest or exceed the savings.
Watching Senator Schumer now discussing Democratic strategy going forward. He feels that now is the time, when they have a lame duck session and good leverage given the recent election, to go for the grand bargain. Although I earlier heard some intelligent discussion regards SS, Medicare and Medicaid that these are not of immediate need of a fix, but should be extended out over time with
some intelligent, well thought out reforms vs willy nilly quick fixes that could ultimately harm them.
No my friend you are the one who has lost your will for a free people, you would rather force other people to give up their property for the good of the collective. The sovereign individual is in real danger of being lost and destroyed right in front of your eyes. We are creating a bigger and bigger welfare state where people have lost the will to live life to the fullest but would rather be a dependent subject to the state just as Alexis de Touqueville wrote about. Hope you are prepared for the police state when the armed IRS agents canvas the neighborhoods of your state knocking on doors demanding to see proof that you have your health insurance. That is only the first pillar of total control of your thwarted existence. Land Of the not so free home of the slave.
after all that we know to be the truth, you are still sooooo lost pal. !
isn't it just sooo typical and sleezy as usual how the right wing operates ? of corse and I dont expect less from them. !
we really should also be thinking about doing whatever it takes to make sure that 2016 will also keep following the same agenda of keeping the right wing out and stripping them of all of their power. !
damn, you hit that target rite on the head !
Written over five years ago, some may recognize expounding on things that had yet to occur (but were obviously forseeable to the author).
There's more than just an early use of General "Betrayus" (as some of the troops had nicknamed him) in there.
Letting the rich have more money only lines their bank accounts. Asking them to cover more of the roads, education, protections and economic infrastructure that allows them to have their business helps put that money back into circulation, stimulating the economy. Rich people don't create jobs, consumers and demand for goods creates jobs. History shows this to be true, which Thom has talked about many times.
Hear hear! Extending tax cuts for 98% of Americans should not be seen in any way, shape or form as raising taxes! And btw, social security is not broke, it has a surplus. What has changed is that the American people have spoken out strongly against big money, which they had not done since Citizens United. When that happened, we not only maintained liberal numbers in the senate and house, but increased them. Our best hope is that the people continue to do speak.
Now that the election is over you can take off your Obama glasses and wake up!! Social security, Medicare, and Medicaid are going broke. And class warfare, and raising more taxes will not come close to a fix. He told you that he will fundamentally change this country and nobody listened. Why the Libs wanted to drag us down this socialist path I will never know. We are losing this country to the weak, pop culture, "give me what I want now" society. I think the individual states are going to have to stand up to this bald faced stomp on the constitution tyrannical federal government.
Oliver Stone was on Piers Morgan today and Mr. Stone was fantastic in his assessment of the Gen. Petraeus affair and just what Mr. Stone thought of this guy and the US wars in the Middle East. After what the damn Republicans did to Bill Clinton on the Monica Lewinski affair Gen. Petraeus shouldn't get off easy. I get a chuckle out of some of the comments I hear on the various news stations...where they sound like they are doing a PR job in trying to preserve Petraeus' "good?" name.
I am really looking forward to Oliver Stone's new movie..."The Untold History of the United States"...named after his book...should be a blockbuster!
perfect...I'm going to pass this around, you covered it all. WE the people can take our country back, and get 'equal JUSTICE for ALL the people of the world....together. We are on the right side of history!!
Thom, doesn't submitted by Louise Hartmann mean she wrote this blog?
Kend-Where else will the Chinese spend their money that they make selling us goods. If we fail, they know they will fail. Japan owes a greater debt then we do per capita compared to their GNP and they are doing okay...The sky is falling, the sky is falling cried chicken little!!! Taxing the wealthy will not fix the problem by itself, but is a good start. Taxes were higher under Clinton and we were doing great until Bush lowered the tax rate on his political donors and allowed Wall St. to get away with what they did to the world with bogus derivitives from bad mortgages!
Palindromedary-Sounds like your talking about the Conservatives in the Republican party not the liberals! Who started the last two wars for OIL and PROFIT for the military industrial complex that builds are the weapons this country used to kill more than a 1,000,000 civilians in Iraq and Afghanastan? I believe it WAS Bush and Cheney the war criminals and they fit your description more so then the Liberals you hate so much!
Thom, you’re crazy if you think this is about the people! Obama only cares about his legacy and how it will read as the first black American to be president and the National Health program he put together. Why is it he said he left part of the healthcare bill undone until his re-election? Nothing has changed in Washington. Same president, same House of Rep. and same Senate. So what is going to change except the Republicans are more resentful and hateful then before the election they thought they could buy? Now they (Repub.) are talking about extending the budget and fixing it when we have a new congress. I understand why you write this crap (and it does not seem like you even write it your wife does), it is your job to keep the listeners fired up so they can hear more progressive rabble, that is how you get paid the bucks you make! So if anyone knows what is different today than it was last Monday please let me know, because it all looks and sounds the same to me!
In my opinion Cantor and his Teapublican reps will continue their economic terrorism for two more years and then fade into history known as one of the most stubborn, radical, manipulated, and narrow minded group of so called representatives ever to have despoiled our fine country.
This Republican obstruction could have ended on election day, had more candidates followed Alan Grayson's election strategy....... simple and concise exposure of the Ryan Budget Plan. This plan truly was the Tea Party's achilles heel, as I've been saying for months..... lots of missed opportunity here.
Protest wherever these tea- bagger reps show up, call and email their offices. Let em know we're not going to tolerate their manipulation by, and representation of, only a handful of billionaires any longer.
www.whitehouse.gov contact call e-mail often 202 456 1111 Lets not give up now Push Cajole demand untill it gets done 1 End Bush cuts 2. Pass jobs bill 3 Eliminate corp loopholes, OIL - Agra business subsides - NO Tax cuts for jobs sent overseas 4. Amend Citizens United 5 . Medicare for ALL 6 Raise SS tax cap 7 . Immigration reform 8 Reduce the power of greedy DC lobbyists who bribe our Reps 9 Strengthen Wall St reform 10 Tweak Obama care as needed Thats alot .. Do the best you can PLS Stop offering TO always compromise up front Its the GOP 's turn . DEMAND ACTION
You are absolutely spot on Thom. Let us not forget not to long ago how the GOP rubber stamped every issue George W Bush ran by them. Bush Cheny did not give a damn what anybody thought. They were in power and and goverened with a heavy hand. Obama needs to do exactly the same. The votes are in and the majority is fed up with catering to the rich and powerful. I hope this time around Obama will lose fear of reprisal by offending the far right. The GOP has been on hyper drive to knock down a very good man. If they don't tow the line and support WE THE PEOPLE I say let the Excecutive orders FLY!!!
And now Rush should pack his bags. He promised to move out of the country if Obama won. I'll help buy a ticket on a slow boat to South America.
Let him try and spread his stuff down there.
Lets make sure Obama does Stand his ground This Election gave him the mandate to say ' Boehner NO more BS End the Bush cuts OR WE end all the Bush cuts. Call their bluiff Underneath it all GOP is gutless People have spoken Stand tough NO Mr Nice guy THat just spells weakness to the Bagger GOP They do not respect sincere ' negotiation or give and take They demand and do not back down Obama take a lesson from them on that
Obaba MUSt end Bush tax cuts Even if he has to call Bagger GOP 's bluff and END ALL BUSH CUTS . Voters must push Obama to do that go to . www.whitehouse.gov call 202 456 1111 Obama has the 'political capital ' to get that done NO more Mr Nice guy .Or caving . Boehner McConnell has NO power to give orders anymore ! Take control Obama Compromsie but do not give away the store .DO not gut SS We paid dearly for those benfits Millions like me paid double SS taxes .Bagger GO P so much damage ..stalling, blocking, filibustering, threatening It must ST OP NOW . Folks Hound your REps Tell them to work for we the people. for a change. NOt wealthy lobbyist Grover Norquist or Karl Rove .
RS, I am serious, I guess I wasn't paying attension. Besides taxing the rich what is the plan to put people back to work. Please enlighten me, I never get a response to this question. I am starting to think there is know answer.