Eric, you are a good communist comrade. Keep spewing your ignorance.

Are you really that anti-semitic, or do you just post things like this to see the overall reaction? A small minority of Jews control our government? You're a Democrat (my presumption), Jews are a significant part of the coalition of the big tent, why would you be so foolish as to try to fragment your party? Ranting against Israel is one thing, there is a certain portion of the population that honestly believes the Israeli's are ungrateful, maybe there's a portion that believes they are parasites, but to extend that to the Jewish population of the United States is more than a little edgy. I'm not looking for a sound bite here, if you truly believe what you post, post something with a little more depth, specifically about the Jews in the Unites States controlling the government, if it's verifiable, I'm sure many of the people here would be willing to read it.

Eric,

I think you may be a little far left yourself but this is what I love about the Democrats you dont have to tow the line to be in the tent your opinion is just that your opinion. I have a different viewpoint than yours and most of our conservative cohorts but as a retired soldier Ill fight for you to have your opinion and be able to voice it no matter how wrong I believe you are. Stay democratic but keep your independence also that what makes this party so great even if we arent in the majority. Most Democrats are really indepents anyway with a leftward lean. Again just my opinion.

"Tell us wonderful reporters, were the protestors all white? Or were these violent protestors "diverse"?"

JoAnne, Does it really matter? Here again is the problem, it is whether these people feel like the politicians are doing what is best for them. Why dumb it down to try and get the focus on something that does not amount to crap on a gnats back. Try focusing on the issue(s) that are important to the protesters for a change.

K Mac in Okla

"Tell us wonderful reporters, were the protestors all white? Or were these violent protestors "diverse"?"

JoAnne, Does it really matter?

No, no it doesn't. But tell that to the liberals who are constantly trying to smear the Tea Party with unfounded and unsupported shouts of "Racism" and "Extremest". Tell that too the MSM who interview a black man during a Tea Party rally and asks "Do you feel uncomfortable being with all these white people?" The point is the Left and the MSM spend a lot of time characterizing the Tea Party as being violent and out of the main stream. Yet they spend no time characterizing other groups and other protesters who really do appear be out of the mainstream.

Joanna: I am a democrat and I will admit that there are nutjobs on the left as well as nutjobs that ar on the right. You seem to be one that leans quite someway to the right. The teabaggers parade around with tea-bags hanging from their hats, they are dressed in civil war costumes, they cry about wanting their country back, they swear up and down that the president isn't a U.S. citizen, and you want people to take them seriously. I don't think so. Most of them scream about socialism and want government out of their lives but are happy collecting their social security and having medicare. And now government isn't doing enough regarding the oil spill.

When the tea-baggers stop collecting their social security, start paying for their healthcare, stop dressing up like idiots, start acting like adults, and start supporting the president then I'll start taking them seriously.

She is essentially correct.

The overall impact of eliminating programs that provide assistance to seniors who want to live in their own homes is to cost taxpayers more in the long run. The income/reserve limits for LTC Medicaid are much higher than for programs like the one she describes. What it means in a nutshell is that the state could have spent perhaps $1000/month to provide services that would have allowed the senior citizen to live in his or her own home, but chose to eliminate the program thereby 'cutting costs.'

However, by eliminating the program, what ends up happening is that the senior, in order to remain qualified for Medicaid, must remain in a LTC facility, which costs on average $3131/month in the United States. In essence, by eliminating the program, the Medicaid program just cost itself over $2k per month for every client enrolled in the program who would have preferred to remain in their own home.

The government does indeed some things that are galactically stupid and against its own best interests sometimes.

Paul specifically what did President Obama lie about. Seriously please supply specifics. I have a feeling your definition of lie is like my children's definition. When I tell my children I will take them to a movie, out to dinner, etc, and my intention when I make the statement is to follow through. But then there is an emergency at work and I can't get away. I would prefer to be at the movie, or out to dinner, or at the mall, but I don't have a choice circumstances beyond my control prevented me from following through. My children will say you lied you said we would do ...., but I did not lie, I had every desire and intention to follow through. Lying would be telling them I'd take them to the movie knowing full well I could not follow through, and sating it just to get them to stop pleading with me.

President Obama has made promises (close Gitmo, repeal DADT) that he has yet to fulfill, however his inability to get Congress to repeal DADT (which he would sign), or prevent the politics fromstanding the way of completely closing Gitmo is not a lie.

President Obama's failure to effectuate bi-partisan cooperation is not proof of his lying, he has tried (many would say too much), but it takes the GOP's cooperation to be successful. Think about some of the effort at bi-partisanship he has made (much of it ignored by the media when they fault Obama for failing to create bi-partisan cooperation). Ray LaHood the transportation secretary was a sitting GOP congressman appointed by Obama. Defense Secretary Gates is a Bush hold over (a bi-partisan gesture). When he offered GOP Senator Judd Gregg of NH the Commerce Secretary post he agreed to get a commitment for the Democratic Governor of NH that he would replace Gregg with a GOP senator. Obama nominated the GOP Governor of Utah as Ambassador to China. The media portrayed it as a slick move to get rid of a 2012 contender. Which ignored the reality that Huntsman would not run in a GOP primary against fellow Morman Mitt Romney.

So what did Obama lie about? Not what has he been unable to achieve, not what campaign promise has not yet been fulfilled, but what specifically has Obama LIED about!

Paul, I too pay for my own healthcare, and have for over 24 years. It is now equal to my house payment, and next year it will be higher. Your point?

I don't think every one thinks all tea party supporters are nuts or racist, however, where were they when Bush decreased taxes for the top 1%, passed a huge unfunded mandate on to the states (No child left behind), turned a surplus into a deficit, or worse passed a prescription drug plan that not only was not paid for and sky rocketed the debt, but actually prohibited medicare from negotiating lower prescription drug costs with manufacturers?

Ross Perot campaigned on many of the issues some in the tea party claim to be their over riding concern. If tea party rallies were limited to complaints about the deficit, most people would give tea party activist greater respect. Although one would still need to wonder if they really were so concerned about the deficit, where were they when Bush created the problem, however most people would not be so quick to dismiss them out of hand. But when national tea party rallies are organized with the help of Glen Beck, and when signs like "Bury Obamacare with Kennedy" are professionally made and mass produced and appear at rallies days after Senator Kennedy's death. And a large percent of tea party activist claim to believe Obama was not born in the US, and racist hateful signs are plentiful at tea party rallies, then people like me who would be willing to give fiscal conservative activist the benefit of the doubt have a hard time separating the true fiscal conservatives from the racists nut jobs. If you have paid for your own health care for 20 years you are old enough to know you are judged by who you associate with. If you hang out with drug dealers people will assume you do drugs. If you hang out with racist nut jobs, people will assume you are one.

Also the tea party doesn't represent anywhere near "half of the country", they represent a segment of the GOP. You voted GOP in 08 before there was a tea party movement, and will continue to do so after it has died, or taken over the GOP!

Great re-buttal, keep up the great discourse.

Hawkeye, how about Obama saying he would eliminate pork barrel spending but signed the stimulus that was FILLED with pork. How about saying he would have no lobbyists in his admin but he does?

Paul, I saw your post and had to comment. You are a Republican, and that's OK. With all due respect, I want to answer your question about HCR - it is NOT being forced upon you. You can still choose whom you want as your doctor/provider of service. What I suspect is the disconnect is that mandate for all to purchase insurance. You can thank the Blue Dogs in Congress for watering that provision down so that the mandate is not REALLY a mandate. I had a link to an article in Politico on this very subject that I would be glad to share with you once I find it. Frankly, all of that talk about having the IRS force you to prove you have insurance is BS. I'll look for the Politico article for you and post it whe nI can find it.

FInally, I would like to hear more from you and your views, as you seem to be a Conservative or Moderate. Your post was not nasty or anything like that (I am guilty of snap judgements, and you can see that in my posts sometimes), and you seem like you are in the same mold as Frank Grimes (one of our favourite Republicans on this board).

I hope you continue posting.

Pietro,

With respect I feel it is being forced on me. I am one of those people who follows the rules. I actually usually stop at a 4 way stop in the middle of the night when I can clearly see it would be safe to roll on through. It is part of my character. This is why I now consider myself more of a tea party person than a republican, I want the constitution to be followed, or change it, but don't distort it. I just want the right to choose not to have health care, and quite frankly I just cannot get past the part where members of congress exempted themselves. Why can't I get the same exemption? Dear Democrats in congress WHY? Am I not smart enough to make my own decisions, do you really think I need you to force me to make the right choice? I used to from time to time tell my 9 year daughter to "Do as I say, not as I do." Now after having congress told me that and realizing just how condescending it is, I will never say it again. I ride quad runners and wear a full face helmet. I think that is safe and smart and want to set a good example for my children. But I pay for my own healthcare so if once in a while if on a spring morning I want to feel some cool air running through my hair....I just want to be able to choose to ride without having to break a helmet law to do it, not just go where I know I will not be caught. To have a law that is not enforced is like a campfire covered in gasoline waiting for someone to throw a match on a cold day. Eventually someone will think its a good idea to light it, and someone else is going to get mad it is to big. Look at illegal immigrants. I am glad Arizona threw the match, not because I completely agree with the law, but we have to address the issues as a nation. I am hopeful that after the November elections the inflammatory language from both sides will calm down enough for us to find a healthy way to move forward. I hope it is a way that both parties don't like (we compromise). We need some middle ground, and some cool heads. Another reason I consider myself a tea party person, I am with the throw them all out crowd. I don't want any more career politicians. I want people who vote their heart. Who take a stand and care enough to be voted out next session. I have more respect for someone who I disagree with but know where they are coming from and know who they are, than our current electorate who for the most part is just worried about getting elected again.

Paul,

I live in Iowa, and have been politically active my entire life. In 2000, 2004 and 2008 I met every single candidate for the Democratic nomination for President. I attended the 2008 ABC Presidential debate at Drake University in Des Moines. I attended countless campaign events, in addition to being inundated with campaign literature in 2007. Dennis Kucinich was the only Democratic candidate advocating leaving Afghanistan. You are confusing Iraq with Afghanistan, they are not the same.

Find one actual quote, where as President or candidate, Obama promised to be out of Afghanistan in 1 year. You can't because he never said that. If you actually believe Obama promised to leave Afghanistan in 1 year, and his failure to do so is a lie, not only is your definition of a lie warped, but it ignores the very important fact that Obama simply never made any such promise, and actually pledged the opposite!

Obama was never ignorant to the complexity of the situation in Afghanistan, nor did he lie. Obama promised a build up in Afghanistan if elected. Take a look at the articles written in the summer of 2008. The Boston Globe July 6, 2008: "If elected, Obama says, he would immediately withdraw thousands of ground troops from Iraq and send them to Afghanistan to help undermanned US forces defeat the Taliban and Al Qaeda. "It's time to refocus our attention on the war we have to win in Afghanistan," Obama said in a speech last week. "It is time to go after the Al Qaeda leadership where it actually exists."

Obama promised to redirect troops to Afghanistan, not pull out of Afghanistan. Obama never said what you claim therefore his failure to have pulled out with in a year is not a lie. I won't call you a liar, because I will not conclude you knowingly made a false statement, regarding Obama's promise concerning Afghanistan, I will assume that you simply relied on someone else's lack of knowledge on the subject.

Sorry Paul we aren't in Afghanistan because of our oil interests, you seem unable to separate Afghanistan and Iraq, the two wars and countries are different.

Without knowing the amount of your house payment your statement that your health insurance payment is double your mortgage payment is meaningless (assuming it's even true). If I still lived in the home I lived in from 1990-93 my current BC/BS family plan would be twice my mortgage payment, and 1.5 times my second home's mortgage payment. When I purchased my current home in 2001 I paid for the best policy BCBS offers in Iowa and it was half the cost of my mortgage payment. My mortgage payment and health insurance premium are now equal, but I no longer have BCBS's premium policy, because that surpassed my mortgage obligation years ago, and I couldn't justify the expense. Again your point?

I also supported a public option, unfortunately the tea party protests, and GOP lies (death panels etc) killed it. As President Obama informed a heckler upset the public option was in the bill during a rally in Iowa City on March 25th the HCR bill passed was the best plan that they were able to get through congress. I assume as a GOP supporter of the public option from Nevada you lobbied Ensign to support the public option?

Paul if you've had health insurance for 20 years, and wouldn't drop it despite its cost why oppose a law that requires people who can afford health insurance, but don't purchase it to do so? That is illogical (especially when you claim to support the public option). The only effect the mandate should have for those of us who would purchase health insurance regardless of a federal mandate is our premiums should not continue to sky rocket. I see that as a benefit. When you increase the insurance pool costs go down, or increase more slowly.

Also whether you like , areindifferent or loath HCR you can't claim Obama lied about his desire for HCR, he campaigned on HCR, and McCain supported a mandate instead of a more liberal HCR plan until after he lost the election, when he then opposed his own campaign HCR plan!

You claimed Obama lied, and failed to provide a single lie. !!!!!!!!

I reread my post and cannot seem to find anywhere where I said a GOP member was more likely to follow the traffic laws than anyone else. I think I am a tea partyperson because I want the constitution closely followed. So there you get no break. I never made that conclusion. I stand corrected about Afganistan, it was 16 mo. and it was Iraq, and it was vague at best. As for HCR several times I considered cancelling my coverage, I did not but still as a free American I would like to be able to choose. To follow your logic and throw some gas on the fire since you seem to like to rant consider this. Lets make abortion illegal. It is just a right to choose, as long as you choose not to have one you should not have a problem with the government telling you NO. Since half the population is male (can't have one) lets say half the women are apposed, 25% left only half are of child bearing years 13-45 maybe. That only leaves 12.5% of the population I would like to enforce my oppinion on. Of the 12.5% by your logic only those that become pregnant and want an abortion should really be opposed, right? If it makes it easier to stomache though when we pass the law, lets expemt everyone in congress who votes for it because they should not be subject to the same laws we are, right?