Damn Roy---always shilling for defense contractors. $36B a month is automatically paid to defense contractors every month. If it were me, I'd take a bugger bite out of defense spending, and bring the troops home. Let them rebuild the crumbling infrastructure, retool the aging nuclear facilities and all the other talents that they have to offer. As a veteran, I don't get it. As the father of an active duty Naval Officer, I don't get it. Why amass more weapons of mass destruction. Let's stop blowing stuff up and start building stuff.

Hey ROY:

GOP members of the panel said they had made a "major concession" by offering $300 billion in new tax revenue, but Democrats said it was not enough. They argued that the Republicans' demand to lower the individual tax rate to 28 percent would be the largest tax cut for multi-millionaires, by percentage, since Calvin Coolidge's administration.

So who does this tax cut benefit?? YOU? are you a millionaire? If you are, then this is great news for you, and the rich. They already do not pay enough of their fair share of taxes, thanks to BUSH tax cuts.

OH and in case you missed it:

But a Democratic aide, speaking of the party's offer of a package to eliminate $2.3 trillion from the defcit, countered: "We put cuts to entitlements on the table, we put more cuts to discretionary spending on the table, we put cuts to Medicaid, we put serious things on the table along with revenue. These guys put their ideological wish list on the table. Maybe that makes us bad negotiators? I think it makes us people that are serious about getting something done

The Democrats have reached across the aisle with discretionary cuts and being a democrat, I agree its time to cut aid to those who abuse the system. However, it's very clear the Republicans do NOT want to compromise on anything, but tax cuts for the wealthy.

Oh and your comment:

The recent Republican threat to reinstate the Defense cuts was a warning to the Democrats to get serious, but it remains to be seen if it works

Good, let's cut Defense spending. Maybe the cuts will come in the right place this time.

Finally, the republicans have control of the house... and what have the done to create jobs? Absolutely nothing.

"The recent Republican threat to reinstate the Defense cuts was a warning to the Democrats to get serious, but it remains to be seen if it works."

Figure the odds of this happening with Patty Murray as a co-chair and efforts by "other" Liberal Congressional Democrats to demand their political landscape ideas (i.e., your example above.....Pelosi) be implemented.

The members should be like a jury.....sequestered without any contact with the outside world until they came up with a viable solution. And any (1) Congressional Representative or (2) "beltway bandit" who TRIED to contact them (1) would be removed from the Congressional grounds until their term is up or (2) banned within 1,000 miles of the beltway.

The members of the Super 12 Ring Circus should take the (R) and (D) labels off their names and do whatever is necessary to reduce the deficit. But no, the outside influences of their "party" members and probably a heck of a lot of special interests groups will never let that happen.

I just discovered the ignore author button--after over 3 years on the Vine. Adios, Roy--no more neocon ramblings on my screen from you.

So let me get this straight--Obama creates this farce of a comittee, designs it to be completely inneffectual by not giving a tie-breaking vote to either side, then derides it the whole time for not getting anything done? And you are surprised? He can't even get all the Dems in the Senate to vote for his sham of a "jobs bill"! He is nothing but smoke and mirrors, completely without substance. All he does is speak in platitudes and cliches, and America is tired of hearing it. The best thing the government can do is nothing at all. Get out of the way. Stop tying the hands of American businesses and enterpreneurs and let the American economic machine get moving again. He and the Democrats in Congress are nothing but a monkey wrench in the gears. Government will never be able to solve the problems it created in the first place.

johnr123-3235782

sandtrich, feisty, david - spoken like true liberals. Ignore any comment or idea that does not fit in with your world view. Heck, now you will never have to think. sorry, I realized the minute I wrote that that you don't think as it is.

John--why don't you turn on MSNBC and watch every day? What? You choose not to because it would be an affront to your eyes and ears? Come one--open your mind. Cruise over to huffington and read more Liberal writings. Doesn't sound right to you because you're a Neocon. Nothing wrong with Neocons. I used to have one as a pet. Had to put him down. Sometimes I miss the way that he humped my leg though.

I think the place to start cutting entitlements would be theirs, like their Pension and Health Care, they can have what every American citizen gets SS, and Obama Care ..... Congress and the Senate needs to feel Our pain, not sitting around a table cracking jokes and smoking cigars, Oh and if that don't work lets put them all on the Unemployment line and see how they like being Unemployed ...

Republican Jobs Plans perfered by Economists.

Just this week, more than 130 American economists said the strategy pursued in the Republican jobs plan is better than more 'stimulus.'

The Republican 22 bipartisan jobs bills that are blocked/stalled by the Democratic-run Senate.

Why didn't Obama go to Ohio and talk to the Ohio people about the Ohio budget deficit before the repeal vote? The republican governor should resign and let a democrat take the fall for the stupid Ohio people. Let them sink in their debts and unionism.

Tax the rich and the corporations and see them flee the state and watch the Ohio personal income tax soar with new taxes to make up the new short falls. Tax the corporations and watch the prices on their manufactured goods and services increase and let the Ohio people pay the increased prices.

Let the Ohio people create a new class of superprivieleged union protected workers who bleed and suck the life out of Ohio.

I have yet to see one Ohio person tell me or anyone in the world how they are going to fix the deficit. You took the money, you have your toys and now it is time to pay the piper. The money your borrowed with Ohio bonds, the rating is being decreased and the interest is going up and that

A "balanced deal" means the rich will get away with murder and Obama knows it.

It's not the rich that are suffering 9. whatever per cent unemployment. It's not the rich who have lost their homes and are losing their homes in record numbers. It's not the rich who have had their 401k's etc decimated.

The president is pushing for trivial tax increases on the rich and a pathetically small jobs program that relies heavily on more tax breaks for corporations and therefore the wealthy, too.

He is also pushing for huge and devastating cuts in federal spending that will effect millions of middle class and poor americans. He has refused to give further help to the states after bailing out the banks and the super wealthy on Wall Street (not surprising he has good friends who are investment bankers, etc. there)

Obama is in campaign mode now so he has to throw a few crumbs to his base after screwing them continuously during his first term in office.

LIke progressive black journalist Adolf Reed said: Obama is a vacuous opportunist.

Nieghbor of the beast:

See, this is what happens when you listen to people like johnr lotsanumbers. Obviously, there are others like the two of you, who get their news from Planet FOX.

Here's what you wrote:

So let me get this straight--Obama creates this farce of a comittee, designs it to be completely inneffectual by not giving a tie-breaking vote to either side, then derides it the whole time for not getting anything done?

I note that as I write this, seven of your lightweight friends approve of your post. In the interest of helping you get this straight.......NO, President Obama did not create the super committee. Here's a link to help you and your friends: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Congress_Joint_Select_Committee_on_Deficit_Reduction

Too much dogma food and fool-ade for you. If you were capable of feeling shame, you would be utterly red-faced for basing an entire rant on a totally erroneous premise. No shortage of bliss in your camp, is there?

Sand #2.3

And SS pays out AUTOMATICALLY about 54 Billion per month. So what is your point??

A Republican aide described a scenario in which both sides have to feel the pain.

Why should "both sides" feel the pain?

The economic monstrosity that America has fallen into was caused by the greedy ideology of the GOP, their wealthy schemers on Wall Street, the money-grabbing hands at the Big Banks and the exploiters in corporate America. Our seniors, the middle class and the poor did not land this country in our current financial mess. Let those who grabbed the most money from the "kitty" put the money back in the "kitty."

David Walker, I wouldn't trust Wiki to tell me my own birthday. Any so-called info site that can be edited by the public at-large is not worth looking at. It would be like trying to find a diamond in the sewer. Also, I don't even have cable, or sattelite, and haven't for over a year and a half, so I don't watch Fox News. Point #2 shot down. Now, as to the "supercomittee", it was Obama himself who announced the creation of said comittee. Do you really think for one instant that he would have announced it if he didn't create it? The Democrats don't wipe their noses without running it past the White House first.

Besides, Dave, with his penchant for legislating by Presidential fiat, why does he even need Congress? Why doesn't he just go ahead and do what he's wanted to do all along and dissolve Congress and declare himself President-for-Life? Oh yeah, the Second Amendment. Damn those pesky laws!

I HEARD THAT! Unfortunatly when you ask millionaires who are busy busy paying themselves more ....to PAY MORE....What do you think is going to happen?

I am sick and tired of people suggesting that SSI is an entitlement. It is an EARNED BENEFIT. Granted, there are plenty of people on it that should not be.....same thing for food stamps and free medical. People that have nothing but time on their hands to figure out to game the system while honest Americans are drowning from it. RIDICULOUS!

I am also very disappointed that the people of Ohio have decided that public employees deserve more rights and benefits that I myself have. I have already been bled enough and I am tired of it.

Very slodon

Sand #2.3

And SS pays out AUTOMATICALLY about 54 Billion per month. So what is your point??

That's just the vendor payment that has nothing to do with the troops pay, the massive flotillas that we send out on cruises, nor the 750 plus bases that the US has on foreign soil. They chop away at the domestic budget but never want to touch the DoD. Time up, gigs over, sell your stock in defense contractors. I did the numbers. For every single cruise missile that the US fires--that would pay 4 full years of college expenses for 28 of the nation's youth. Defense deserves the biggest hit.

Neighbor of the Beast:

Here's the damned law. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-112publ25/pdf/PLAW-112publ25.pdf

with his penchant for legislating by Presidential fiat, why does he even need Congress?

Show me where and when that happened. I can back up what I say is fact. Can you?

How come we have to call the unemployment number under U3 instead of the U6? We used U6 for over 80 years until Clinton changed the BLS.gov to U3. In the 1930s depression U6 ran close to 19% and TODAYS U6 is 19%... Why are we using U3 at 9% and even trying to compare it to anything? U6 in the 80s was pushing 10% but the U3 was only 3% .... Even U6 is now not a lengthy enough standard of time unemployed.. We never thought we would need a longer gauge after the great depression.. 35 years back I was taught that the peak of the deppresion came in 1933 and the most despicable thing of the time to the people was seeing able, willing, strong, or educated young men being reduced to humiliating human billboards..

Willing.Sniper

Republican Jobs Plans perfered by Economists.

Just this week, more than 130 American economists said the strategy pursued in the Republican jobs plan is better than more 'stimulus.'

Willing I Love that 130 American Economist stufff from you.

Are that not the Ivy League bumbling economic idiots that allowed the America to get in this mess in the first place?

If those Ivy league guys are that sh*t hot they could and should have this mess prevented.

Looks to me those guys are just as incompetent as Wall street and the bankers

So cynical.....when they're saying the stimulus didn't do enough, and wasn't a failure....or that we're not still in a recession.....they're experts who should be taken seriously.

When they say your Obamessiah is not popular anymore, and that his actions are economic poison, they're "bumbling economic idiots that allowed the America to get in this mess in the first place"?

LOL!

Who said anything about the stimulus?

What I'm saying is that this finacial diaster never should have happened in the first place.

Again if those Ivy league geniusus are so brillant why did they not stop this mess a long, long time ago. Or are they just ambling along for the pay check

And please don't give that Obumbo/Repub crap because they both, and their predecessors are guilty of this mess. AND YOU ALL ALLOWED THEM TO DO SO by voting them in over and over again.

It is being debated the republicans set it (super committee) up for failure. I tend to disagree. Back when this was established, we had just been downgraded and all hell was breaking loose. This was a quick measure to get some time to work out the cuts. Now, here we are waiting for this super committee to produce some magic and glitter and whatever else that can shine to show a significant effort to lower our debt and spending (and produce/pass a bill). It is obvious the plan was to put pressure on the committee to place a seriousness in resolution but given the time to look at the prospect of automatic cuts and after crunching numbers, DOD has said these automatic cuts would be catastrophic. Here now the republican lawmakers are saying this cut would be too harmful to allow. Its not that they planned for failure, but more so aware of the consequence of failure.

Once again on Obama and Wall Street

11 November 2011

Even by the debased standards of American politics, the attempt of President Barack Obama to pass himself off as a populist tribune of the people and channel the anti-Wall Street protests behind his reelection campaign has reached new heights of cynicism and dishonesty.

It is yet another demonstration that the American ruling class operates on the assumption that the American people are hopelessly gullible and suffer from collective amnesia.

Nearly three years into an administration that has overseen the biggest transfer of wealth from the public treasury to the financial elite in history—with no strings attached—and refused to take any serious measures to address the worst jobs crisis since the Great Depression, a period in which poverty and social deprivation have soared alongside record corporate profits and CEO pay, Obama and the Democrats now present themselves as the party of jobs and social justice.

This preposterous pose has been compromised by the politically inconvenient collapse of MF Global, the Wall Street speculator in European debt headed by former Goldman Sachs CEO and Democratic senator and governor from New Jersey Jon Corzine. Some $633 million of clients’ funds are still unaccounted for.

Corzine’s career personifies the revolving door between the boardroom and government office and the intimate ties that bind the Democratic Party to Wall Street. The multi-millionaire banker/politician, now under criminal investigation for stealing clients’ funds, is a major fundraiser for the Obama reelection campaign. He hosted Obama’s first fundraiser this year at his posh Manhattan apartment….

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/nov2011/pers-n11.shtml

Willing.Sniper

Republican Jobs Plans perfered by Economists.

Just this week, more than 130 American economists said the strategy pursued in the Republican jobs plan is better than more 'stimulus.'

The Republican 22 bipartisan jobs bills that are blocked/stalled by the Democratic-run Senate.

This is the best laugh I had all day. What's scary though is the Republican job plan. It consist of eliminating the EPA and deregulate everything while cutting taxes for the rich down to 28% top bracket. Only people making over $212,000 taxable income would benefit. In other words, they know the Democrats will not accept that so the Republicans are stalling and don't want to accomplish anything.

Willing.Sniper

Just this week, more than 130 American economists said the strategy pursued in the Republican jobs plan is better than more 'stimulus.'

WHAT Job plan? I have not seen anything come across the floor of the house or senate that addresses new jobs in the US? Or did you mean that the Republicans have finally STOPPED giving tax credits to corporations that export jobs to foreign countries? FYI, you also might want to consider posting 130 American Economists that actually said this...

Gharms

- NO Democrats do NOT blame the republicans for everything that is going on. There are definitely issues that need to be addressed in this country. Welfare reform is at the top of my list, and I am a moderate democrat. What we are SICK and tired of, is these republicans conservatives (LIKE YOU) who sit there, whine and complain, stop your foot like a 6 year old, point the blame at the president, and fail to see that the REPUBLICANs will not yield.

I had to laugh at Gharms trying to blame the economic collapse on the Democrat congress. Just what economic collapsing bill did the Democrat congress pass and why didn't Bush veto it? You see, you just don't know how stupid you sound when you parrot the right wing talking points that have no fact.

sand

OK. The DOD pays out 57.42 Billion AUTOMATICALY for EVERYTHING in its Budget.

689 Billion per year divided by 12 equals 57.42 Billion

And a correction to my last post.

SS AUTOMATICALLY pays out 58.42 Billion per month.

701 Billion per year divided by 12 equals 58.42 Billion per month.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:U.S._Federal_Spending_-_FY_2007.png

Sorry for the mistake.

I repeat. What's your point???

Gharms sounds like that idiot down the street that does nothing but argue again a repub way get along it works better like marriage the government is a institution make it work or get out you need to try different things to make thing happen some good some bad thats how you learn and i forgot the last how many years we have been fighting a bush war and all the jobs we cut from government to make up for the war and bush tax cuts on the rich that adds to jobs loss are we that stupid

It's about time, there are 22 jobs proposals that have been tabled by Sen. Reid. these 22 proposals have passed the house, almost all with Dem. support. the work then is for the Senate to offer proposals, counter measures, and new ideas. Sen. reid has decided it is easier to do nothing, and say the GOP has done nothing.

If any of you, Libs or Conservs want the truth, go to factcheck.org. You will discover both sides lie, spin ,and misrepresent about equal.

You will also see what the truth really is. Oh, wait, that's not important.

Foreclosures are up, unemployment is up, poverty is up, inflation is up, oil prices are up, coal prices are up, gold is up, healthcare is up, bankruptsy is up, White collar crime is up...

Incomes are down, housing prices are down, property values down, Americans drowning indebt...

Good luck my fellow Americans your going to need luck. Representation for your bottom line is that you are the bottom!

We have failed our people....

Sorry you do not want more for yourself and want to give it all to the Corporations.

But give corporations who do not need anymore money, more money! WTF!

Congress....the best gig in town!

According to

CQ Today, in the 111th Congress, law is the dominant declared profession of Senators, followed by public service/politics; for Representatives, public service/politics is first, followed by business and law. A closer look at the prior occupations of Senators and Representatives of the 111th Congress, as listed in their CQ.com Member Profiles, also shows:

16 medical doctors (including a psychiatrist), two dentists, three nurses, two veterinarians, four psychologists, an optometrist, a clinical dietician, and a pharmacist;

4 ordained ministers;

39 mayors, 14 state governors, 11 lieutenant governors (including two Delegates), 1 state first lady, and 1 territorial first lady; 1 Cabinet secretary, 1 Secretary of the Navy, 1 vice admiral in the Navy, 1 Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, 1 Defense Department counterterrorism consultant, 1 ambassador, 3 state supreme court justices, and 1 federal judge; 269 (229 in the House, including 2 Delegates, and 40 in the Senate) state or territorial legislators; at least 114 congressional staffers (including 10 congressional pages), 12 White House staffers or fellows, and several (?)executive branch employees; a parliamentary aide in the British House of Commons and a foreign service officer; (Read: life time politicians)6 Peace Corps volunteers;

4 sheriffs, 1 deputy sheriff, 4 police officers (including a Capitol policeman), 2 state troopers, 1 probation officer, 1 volunteer fireman, 1 FBI agent, and 1 former border patrol chief;

3 physicists, 1 chemist, 6 engineers including a biomedical engineer, and 1 microbiologist;

2 radio talk show hosts, 1 radio/television broadcaster, 1 radio broadcaster, 1 radio newscaster, 1 television reporter, and 1 television commentator;

6 accountants;

1 astronaut,1 naval aviator, the commander of an aircraft carrier battle group, 1 instructor at West Point, and 1 pilot of Marine One (the President’s helicopter);

2 professional musicians,1 semi-professional musician, 1 screenwriter,1 comedian, 1 documentary film maker, 1 major league baseball player, and 1 NFL football player;

3 organic farmers, 4 ranchers, 2 vintners, and 1 fruit orchard worker; 1 driving instructor, 1 cosmetic sales woman, 1 mountain guide, and 1 ski instructor; 1casino dealer, 1 night watchman, and 1 prison guard; and 3 carpenters, 2 bank tellers, several furniture salesmen, 1 ironworker, 1 auto worker, 1 clothing factory worker, 1 textile worker, 1 oil field worker, 1 mortician, 1 coroner, 1 teamster member/dairy worker, 1 paper mill worker, 1 cement plant worker, 1 shellfish specialist, 1 river boat captain, 1 taxicab driver, 1 auctioneer, 1 toll booth collector, and 1 hotel clerk.

In my opinion the only group who may...just may be able to make $174,000.000 a year plus benefits on the outside is:

3 physicists, 1 chemist, 6 engineers including a biomedical engineer, and 1 microbiologist;

The rest of these clowns are deciding just how much to take from our Social Security INSURANCE ( not Social Security entitlement) and medicare. I think we need to redo Congress pay and benefits AND vote these mediocre, haven't lived like the rest of us for a loooong time, clowns out and start over.

The Super Committee is a joke of career politicians who have made big bucks hand over fist from lobbyist and if we think they are going to serve US in any fashion you have to be delusional. AND that goes for Republicans and Democrats. Look at Patty Murray and the huge amount of hand outs she has amassed. Baucus come from a family in Montana who owns something like 175,000 acres. And I'm a liberal.....but a fed up with the system liberal.

Obama and this Super Committee needs to know that we the people are much better informed than any other time in history and WE are not going to take tokens from them.

In my humble opinion.

To see who is lobbying the Super Committee the most go to

You can see the full list of all 403 organizations and their sector and industry breakdown here:

http://bit.ly/t91jLr.

To read ALL about it search:

open secrets super committee lobbying

Slow Don--

Budget Breakdown for 2012

Defense-related expenditure

2012 Budget request & Mandatory spending

Calculation

DOD spending

$707.5 billion

Base budget + "Overseas Contingency Operations"

FBI counter-terrorism

$2.7 billion

At least one-third FBI budget.

International Affairs

$5.6–$63.0 billion

At minimum, foreign arms sales. At most, entire State budget

Energy Department, defense-related

$21.8 billion

Veterans Affairs

$70.0 billion

Homeland Security

$46.9 billion

NASA, satellites

$3.5–$8.7 billion

Between 20% and 50% of NASA's total budget

Veterans pensions

$54.6 billion

Other defense-related mandatory spending

$8.2 billion

Interest on debt incurred in past wars

$109.1–$431.5 billion

Between 23% and 91% of total interest

Total Spending

$1.030–$1.415 trillion (from Gov't printing office)

Total revenue from all sources---$2.2T (from Gov't printing office)


If you don't understand that a nation cannot survive spending over half of the revenue on defense--what's your point?

sandtrich "Damn Roy---always shilling for defense contractors. $36B a month is automatically paid to defense contractors every month."

I don't have a problem with cutting much of the Pentagon's budget, but $600 Billion might be a bit high. The point I was making was that the Democrats are poor negotiators.

ItsAboutTime-3704531 "Good, let's cut Defense spending. Maybe the cuts will come in the right place this time...........Finally, the republicans have control of the house... and what have the done to create jobs? Absolutely nothing."

I agree that there are plenty of places to cut in the Defense budget, but as for jobs bills by the Republicans, they have passed 15 of them so far in the House, but Harry Reid (D) has refused to even allow debate on them in the Senate.Why blame the Republicans for inaction by the Democrats?

Are the Democrats poor negotiators or are the Republicans just really good hostage takers. We can argue all day long, but the above is the question of the day.

I can tell you this... for it's affect on the economy, HAVING an agreement is more important than WHAT is agreed upon. The country, and even the world, needs to see something other than disfunction coming out of Congress. Another stale mate followed by gamesmanship will further doom any consumer confidence we have gained over the last few months. This is like finding out who cares more for a baby by offering to cut it in half to equally divide it... the Dems need to force an agreement because the Republicans will not. The following elections will then redeem the Dems for caring more about country than party.

And Roy, Roy, Roy... defending the Republican "jobs bills" is like claiming the sweet smell of dog sh!t. The extremely tired mantra of reduced regs and taxes that "create jobs" has no foundation at all. Spending for the sake of spending won't work either, but the GOP jobs bill are NOT about jobs.

Congress was the one that voted for this super committee. Let them deal with the consequences if it doesn't come to an agreement. If congress would have did their job in the first place, the super committee wouldn't have been necessary. It's no wonder that their approval rating is at 9 percent.

Thanks for proving my point guys. I say something, and am called names, told to be ignored as "crazy", and no addressing of what I said at all.....LOL.

Larry, it's not what they DID pass, it's what they DIDN'T pass, and were asked MANY TIMES to. Dodds and Frank fought reform of Fannie and Freddie until the end, and then they had the balls to act like it wasn't their fault.

But like I said.....President's fault when the president is Republican......Congress' fault when you can claim "Obstructionism" on the minority, and the president is a Democrat. You're not fooling anyone. We can see through your stupidity...at least those of us with our lips not firmly attached to Obama's ass.

Gharms--You guys on the right feel as if Dodd & Frank had the power of 100 Senators and 435 members of the House. Mortgage gangsters game tons of money to everyone in government. Change the tune, bro--getting old.

Regarding the upcoming cuts to defense--live with it. We lived with education being robbed, NPR, Planned Parenthood, etc all being stripped. It's time to slash that bloated ass defense budget. When a country spends more than the balance of the world combined, they're either insane or paranoid. Did those shinny weapons that blow things up save this country from religious idiots with box cutters? Close those 750+ foreign bases, bring the troops home, and let's play, "mind our f**king business."

LMarcT "The extremely tired mantra of reduced regs and taxes that "create jobs" has no foundation at all."

On that we disagree. It's estimated that regulations cost the employers an extra $10,000+ per year for each employee, which certainly inhibits hiring, productivity and our ability to compete.

Obviously, some regulations are needed, but when we go overboard, it hurts our job prospects. Even Obama has recognized this and has called for a review of unnecessary regulations, but it's about 3 years late in coming, and perhaps simply rhetoric related to his reelection prospects.

Lets just make a list of things that we could eliminate, things we could cut down on and the amount of revenue needed to begin recovery.............

then put it all on a ballot, let citizen voters vote and see what happens...............

the way they count ballots all in one night we could have this taken care of within a week I bet.

No table talks, no arguing or posturing or defending the rich or raping the rest of us..........one man one vote and live with the outcome...

and if we get it done and they don't we could charge them for our services...right?

This is too easy...........and I think that is part of the problem...it is not just money or power or connections or loyalties it is just too complicated for these career politicians..........

get it back to the people and get it simple...........

heck with the money we save settling this ourselves we could even send pens and stamps with the ballots.

Just hit the reset button already...........politics have become annoying, ritualistic, so biased that nothing gets done.................(yawn)..........everyone is so predictable and with the republicans being in the "NO" mood these last 3 years all is stagnant and not worth the money being spent on this system that is so easily circumvented by the career politicians who have so handily set up the laws that govern themselves.................

Sesame street covers more ground and accomplishes more in an episode than these stagnant self serving apathetic blow hards............

as far as I am concerned the party of NO should be out on their ears and a replacement put in.........I hear the girl scouts are pretty bright and fairly honest and considerably younger than most of the old farts on the hill..

if folks on the hill did not vote their own benefits packages...and if their retirement benefit were no more than 25% of their starting salary perhaps fewer would see this as a career and move along and open the field up for some new blood...they have all just made it too profitable to quit.

That is wrong.

LOL Sandtrich they had the majority in BOTH HOUSES....so yeah....they did sort of control everyone. Change the "It's never our fault!" record. It's getting old.

Willing Sniper. You act like 120 economists are a majority. In 2008 over 14,000 economists were employed in the U. S. according to the dept of labor. If only 120 economists favor anything, they are less than 1%, Making the rest the....99%.

Only aournd 80 or so economists insist that the stimulus wasn't a failure and merely didn't go far enough......but that's fact? And his is BS? LOL. The liberal mindset at work....as long as they say what you want them to, it's fact. If they don't, it's biased lies.

Debbie McCarten I couldn't agree more!

While voting for President this upcoming election let's put these items on the ballot for the people to decide on:

Strict enforcement of immigration laws...border wall/moat...whatever, comprehensive deportation.

Reduction of Congress pay and benefits, term limits

Universal Health Care

Taxes on those who's income is over 1 million a year. Closing ALL loopholes.

Preserving Social Security

25% reduction on every other program across the board

Now REALLY how hard would those issues be to decide? And HOW do we get this to happen?

LMarcT

we have been trying your liberal neo-communist "ideas" and "plans" and "solutions" that have been instituted since the "the New Deal" (also known as the RAW DEAL), and look where we are...hundreds of billions on "education" look where we are...hundreds of billions on "the war on poverty" and look where we are...hundreds of billions on "social engineering"...talk about tired and played diatribe and ideology , the democrat neo-communism scam is apparently a failure

rico, those are amazing points, and I can agree with almost all of them. Not so sure about Universal Healthcare....not because I don't want people to have insurance like the Left insists, more that it just lowers the level of medical care. Every Canadian I've ever talked to said they despise their healthcare. Bad doctors looking to turf everyone as fast as possible, incredible wait times, etc.. Pay for teachers based on merit not term of service would be great, too. Stop touching Police and Fire wages. They do dangerous crap.

It's easy to be for raising of someone else's taxes. As for last Tuesday, winning a union initiative (that wouldn't have passed if the police and fire departments were excluded) and an abortion bill that the major right to life organizations didn't support don't count for much.

Pledging to not raise taxes is not illegal.

Also on Tuesday, the same voters in Ohio who voted to let public employees steal them blind also soundly rejected Obamacare. Yep, it was a banner day for democrats.

Cathy in Las Vegas -- Agreed, I mean wow, just wow. They're doubling down:

Republicans' demand to lower the individual tax rate to 28 percent would be the largest tax cut for multi-millionaires, by percentage, since Calvin Coolidge's administration.

If ONLY FOX Noise and Hate radio would report the facts as follows:

"...a Democratic aide, speaking of the party's offer of a package to eliminate $2.3 trillion from the deficit, countered: "We put cuts to entitlements on the table, we put more cuts to discretionary spending on the table, we put cuts to Medicaid, we put serious things on the table along with revenue. These guys put their ideological wish list on the table. Maybe that makes us bad negotiators? I think it makes us people that are serious about getting something done."

Imagine how much better off we would be now if the "my way or the highway" GOP/TP had accepted the president's Big Deal way back before our credit rating was downgraded. Teapublicans, stop with your ideological wish list and put country first!

Go USA-851295 -- Pledging to not raise taxes is not illegal.

Pledging to a lobbyist before you take the oath of office to represent your constituents is unconstitutional and unethical. Something doesn't have to be illegal or criminal to be wrong. This is the problem with so-called "value" voters on the Right, whether it's sexual harassmentor what have you. Ignorant hypocrisy at it's best.

@Go USA... I expected as much a response like yours. Yes, it was a good day for the Democrats. Collective bargaining doesn't bankrupt -- guess the 'bargaining' part was missed by you. There has been plenty of compromise by the Unions across the county to help their cities and towns with their budgets. But I guess that doesn't count with you.

As a Federal employee -- the only legal oath is the one you take for your position. Signing that Norquist one is illegal. The ones who signed it are fools.

What is a democracy? When 80% of the people are poor and 20% are rich. Isn't it democratic for the 80% to at least have the right to vote for increased taxes on those 20%? Simple majority.

I hate to put water on your fire, but these people are going to keep taxing and I mean everyone just so long as they can keep spending. THINK ABOUT IT, IS THE CHRISTMAS TREE TAX JUST FOR THAT 1%.

The Secret Super Committee needs to have all meetings on C-Span. No excuses.

TRANSPARENCY! BOTH parties.

Thank you, Laura! Thanks to these mindless fools, our country can't recover/heal because of their need to destroy all but the 1% in order to win back the ONE JOB -- the White House. This recession has hit my family so badly, I personally feel the need to stand up for all who have been affected. The pro-TP/GOP can't take their blinders off on how they're being used by their own party. They hate the President, they hate not running all 3 arms of the goverment, they hate anything pro-democracy that they can't see what is happening. G-d help us all if they're in charge again!

"Isn't it democratic for the 80% to at least have the right to vote for increased taxes on those 20%? Simple majority."

It may be democratic, but does it make it right to force someone else to pay your bills, and rationalize it by suggesting it's fair because they can afford it?

Seems to me you're simply abusing your status as a protected U.S. citizen to forgo personal responsibility, because in a One-World Government scenario, you'd look awfully wealthy to the majority of peoples on this planet. And they'd certainly outvote you!

LOUD applause Cathy from Texas. If the Republicans get in the white house, its going to get a lot worse than it is now.

TruePatriot-445959....."Pledging to a lobbyist before you take the oath of office to represent your constituents is unconstitutional and unethical. Something doesn't have to be illegal or criminal to be wrong. ..... Ignorant hypocrisy at it's best."

Wow, you just described Mr. Obama and his "pledge" to the SEIU folks: "SEIU's agenda is my agenda".

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ1NJaCtIkM

Further, I can provide more videos of Mr. Obama's "pledges" BEFORE he took office. Yep, "Ignorant hypocrisy at it's best".

Yes, I agree......"Pledging to a lobbyist before you take the oath of office to represent your constituents is unconstitutional and unethical."

Time to start Impeachment proceedings.....HUH ?

Welcome Cathy, agree even more with the rest of your postings. It was a lot of deregulation, tax breaks for the wealthy, loss of our basic rights, and our damaged reputation internationally that was brought on by the republicans, If they return, we'll also be drinking bad water, our infrastructure will continue to crumble, oil companies will (BP) will cause more environmental disasters, and there won't be a middle class.

I almost considered be a Republican for halloween, but I couldn't get my head that far up my A**.

Vegas is awesome!

Cathy, I wish I could call you an idiot, but to do so would insult idiots worldwide, so I will settle for hopelessly naive. Your fearmongering about your polluted view of the Republican platform in post #3.14 just goes to show how little you actually know. Do Repubs want to repeal regulations? You bet! Gov't regs are choking American businesses and keeping them from expanding, or even opening at all. Women's rights? What women's rights are going to be taken away, specifically? The right to murder unborn children for the sake of convenience? Even if Roe v. Wade were repealed, there are still provisions in the law that allow for abortions in the case of rape, incest or physical danger to the mother. Homes? The Dodd-Frank Bill single-handedly destroyed the housing market by allowing people who had no possible way to pay their mortgages to get a home loan. Nobody, absolutely NO ONE has a RIGHT to own a home. If you can't afford it, rent an apartment. Jobs? Who was it that signed the NAFTA and other free-trade acts that made moving corporations overseas easier in order to facilitate a one-world government? Oh yeah, it was Clinton, a Democrat. Savings? Again, it was Clinton who raped the Social Security fund. It was Obama whose economic fearmongering led to the zeroing out of billions of dollars in 401k's and private pension funds. International relations? Who sent back a bust of Winston Churchill? Who damaged relations with Israel? Who bowed to the Japanese? Who apologizes every chance he gets for American greatness? Who was ridiculed by several European leaders for pushing socialist policies in the U.S. while they were going back to capitalism? Your boy, Obama. I'd keep going, but coming from Vegas, you voted for Harry Reid, so YOU ARE GETTING EXACTLY WHAT YOU VOTED FOR!!!

sure you can increase the taxes on the people who create the jobs because you can't figure out a way to increase your salary. And the rich have the right to move to a state that has no income taxes and no corporate taxes. Florida is one and there are several more. Now when they do that and the taxes come down heavier on you. What are you going to do?

TruePatriot-445959

IF MSNBC and you "volunteer" posters for Obama paid attention to the whole truth of anything you might grow a brain. The Republicans want to change the max tax to 28% AND cut out loopholes. DUH if you understood taxes you would know that the tax rate could be 99% and rich people and corporations would still pay nothing if they have enough loopholes. The dems don't mention this because they don't want to give up thier hidden way to give large contributors favors in tax loopholes.

Wake up and smell the coffee. Our tax code is a mess and a sham that is used to let buds of the Administraiton like GE pay nothing while the working stiff pays a lot. How the devil do you think this happens?

Thomas Jefferson was right:

"It is as useless to argue with those
who have renounced the use and authority of reason as to administer medicine to
the dead"!

lastonehome-If you are Eric Holder, you sue Boeing for daring to move to a right-to-work state instead of continuing to be mugged by the unions in WA state. It is truly amazing to see this group of people who cry so loudly about the separation of church and state embrace government intervention into virtually every other facet of American life.

You all forget liberals are leftist left wing democrats because they flunked economics and only know one thing tax the rich. How many of you liberals own or started a business to employ people? Took the risk, work the 60-80 hours a week to make it successful and after earning the carrot that was dangled in front of you want socialistic 40 hour a week couch potatoes to take it away so they can have their satellite systems, flat screen tvs and new phones and pay the tremendous monthly fees. Sure they want all the goodies and if they can't afford them, they want the actual American workers who amounted to something to pay for their unearned benefits.

Economics doesn't work that way in the U.S. When you take more and more from the hardest workers, smartest people, the real job creators, and the people who earn the most, you decrease their incentive to work harder, create more jobs, make better inventions that provide you with the easy life. You better think about it.

And the new millionaires are the hard working little men who go out and expand their small businesses and put more people to work. That dry cleaner may have 3-4 stores and have 20 people working. You want to take more of his hard earned income? That person who has 3-4 subway stores and has 25 workers, you want him to support you having an extra case of beer a week. You liberals have no idea how economics works. You keep dangling the carrot. You don't keep reducing the size of the carrot that the hard workers strive for.

@NeighborOfTheBeast It is Obama you go after for not reigning in NLRB. Remember that Clinton told Reno to get the Gonzalez boy and ship him back to Cuba. All Obama has to go is pass the word down the line and this whole Boeing problem goes away.

I have sent my senators and congressman a demand to do away with the illegal special privileges that unions have and the secrecy they have obtained as to how they conduct their finances. They are not taxed on the monies they get and used.

Big Labor’s Top Ten Special Privileges Privilege #1: Exemption from prosecution for union violence.Privilege

Privilege #2: Exemption from anti-monopoly laws.

Privilege #3: Power to force employees to accept unwanted union representation.

Privilege #4: Power to collect forced union dues.

Privilege #5: Unlimited, undisclosed electioneering.

Privilege #6: Ability to strong-arm employers into negotiations.

Privilege #7: Right to trespass on an employer’s private property.

Privilege #8: Ability of strikers to keep jobs despite refusing to work.

Privilege #9: Union-only cartels on construction projects.

Privilege #10: Government funding of forced unionism.

Plus the fact that the unions get close to 3 billion a year directly from the federal government under all sorts of plans and laws. Time to stop this horsesh*t and put people to work where their income and abilities are dictated by how well they work and not by corrupt union and mafia bosses. There was an article how the FBI is investigating again the ties between the mafia and unions.

"Thе mafia hаѕ long held a grasp οn thе Nеw York city’s construction unions over thе years. Thе Fed’s ѕау thаt thіѕ still hаѕ nοt changed even wіth efforts οf law enforcementtο weed out thеіr influence. Tο prove thаt thе mafia still holds control over thіѕ area οf thе city thе Fed’s рυt together a case against nine οf thе cities contracting bigwigs including Michael Forde thе District Council οf Carpenters аnd tο date eight οf thе nine hаνе pleaded guilty аnd faced judgement. Thе last οf thе nine whο hаѕ nοt уеt gone tο trial οr gotten a plea іѕ Joseph “Rudy” Olivieri."

Massive FBI Mafia bust: Organized crime still has firm grip on unions, even at Ground Zero

BY BRIAN KATES
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER
Friday, January 21, 2011

The massive mob takedown shows organized crime's grip on unions is virtually unbroken - even at Ground Zero - despite decades of prosecutions.

Exhibit A: Ralph Scopo Jr.

Scopo, who pleaded guilty to extortion in 2005, inherited leadership of concrete workers Local 6A from his father, who was convicted in 1986 in the Mafia Commission case. His brother, Joseph, was whacked in 1993. Reputed Colombo capo Anthony Russo was charged Thursday with the murder.

Prosecutors say Ralph Jr. gave jobs to cronies and scammed the union benefit funds. Through a so-called coffee boy scheme, he even skimmed money from lunch orders at every jobsite, the indictment charges.

And you ask why unions are in decline and why manufacturing jobs are going overseas and why the rust bucket states are rusty. What manufacturer wants a few union bigshots to come in and do all this to their company?Would YOU set up a business where complete strangers could put a stranglehold on your operation anytime they wanted and extort any amount of money or work conditions out of you? Stall your assembly line any time they choose and be above the law and drive you out of business?

Cathy, the Republicans just do not care.

The Right is eager to ruin America - just to enforce their twisted ideology.

As long as the GOP and their wealthy pals do not economically, politically and socially fall...its forget everyone else. If the GOP lands in the White House - the first act that they will engage in is to tear up the Constitution.

They will then start "fresh" - with ALL the rules and laws benefiting the elites.

Bravo lastonehome! And people wonder why Nikes are made in Vietnam.

what does faux really mean anyway? I thought it meant fake! ugh.

NeighboroftheBeast, nikes & other things are made elsewhere chiefly for one reason and one reason only,it costs less to make them elsewhere. Labor unions are a necessary evil, or the least of two evils. Unions at least do a little bit to protect the regular working guy. As we know, without protection, the working guy would be walked all over and taken advantage of even more than he is today by Corporate America. Unions help to keep some Americans making a decent wage. By making a decent wage, they can support their families and keep the gears of our capitalist society moving by spending money. Don't expect us to feel for Corporate America when they're squeezing the hell out of their workers and making a bundle in the process. Corporate American has the highest cash reserves in history. AND, that sure hasn't led to any job creation. AND the reason is not because of any regulations. That's all an excuse so Corporate America and businesses don't have to confess that even if things were loosened up for them they'd still be sending jobs overseas. I know this first hand because it's happening where I work. As far as those employed by the government, if there's no money now to pay their pensions don't blame that on the workers. The blame for that goes all the way to the top. Poor leadership by both parties. But we can heap more blame on the Republicans because at least the Democrats try to help the regular guy some of the time. By the way Beast, with your mentality I think you should immigrant to points eastwards. Why don't you move to Uzbekistan or North Korea. I think you'd be right at home in either of those two places.

JoeCal if unions are so great why are the number of union workers decreasing every year? Why don't they open their books and publish them on the net. All the corporations have to! Why do the union bosses get paid tremendous salaries and refuse to publish who they are and how much they earn. Lastly joecal there is a site that compares union workers take home pay with non union take home pay by age. By the time a worker is 40 the union worker take home pay and the non union worker take home pay is the same. All the union workers did for 20 years is make the union and mafia bosses rich. They also increased tremendously the cost of the businesses products and services so they became unprofitable. There is nothing you can tell me positive about the unions. Keep on lying to yourself and spending your money on imported goods. Remember the unions made the products more expensive.

So if unions didnt exist the working wage would be a few dollars per day, iPhones would be manufactured in the United States instead of China, and due to squalid conditions workers would be committing suicide leaping to their deaths.

http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/02/ff_joelinchina/all/1

Fortunately, or not, depending on whose perspective you take, Foxconn (appropriately named hehe) has strung NETS around every Foxconn building to catch would be jumpers.

EVERY organization especially LARGE ones are inherently bueaurcratic. We can only work to reduce waste, fraud, and increase efficiency and streamline INTERNAL CONTROLS (red tape). SMALL businesses or organizations are not immune from the actions of unethical individuals.

EVERY system or program no matter what it is virtual, physical, political, corporate, or public will be ABUSED by some. Take vehicle registration. Residents of other states register their vehicles in Oregon because it is cheaper of which equates to state tax evasion.

Getting a car licensed in Oregon is cheap and easy and can be done by mail. But in most cases, it's tax evasion if you don't live there. The scofflaws are costing other states, particularly Washington and California, millions in lost revenue. States as far away as Nebraska and Oklahoma are suddenly reporting large numbers of Oregon-plated cars, too.

Hopefully as technology becomes more advanced, fraud and waste can be eliminated without enrouching on civil liberties.

lastonehome

JoeCal if unions are so great why are the number of union workers decreasing every year? Why don't they open their books and publish them on the net. All the corporations have to!

Great lastonehome please paste the link to the Halliburton books!

The President "threatens" ? Well, Fancy That..Obama has already been doing that..and no one cares.

Fancy That -- Not likely from here on to reelection. I suspect the President will continue tagging the obstructionist Do Nothing Teapublicans for what they are.

Bob-1887910 -- You seem to be having a meltdown. There are meds for that.

Every single piece of legislation that comes out of the Obama admin SHOULD be obstructed! He is determined to spend the U.S. into becoming a third-world power. He wants to do away with that pesky "rule of law" thing and set American policy by Presidential fiat. In effect, he wants to be our dictator. He has been lied to for so long about how special he is, how smart he is, how much of a transformational character he is, that he believes himself (and his administration) to be above the Constitution. The only things about America that need to be changed are EVERY SINGLE THING HE HAS DONE SINCE HIS IMMACULATION! Even the leaders of the Euro-socialist countries he wants so badly to emulate see him as a joke. Unfortunately, the joke is on us.

Sorry Neighbor,

This is just more ridiculous frustrated hate literature. Got anything sensible and thoughtful to say??

Just watch, right wing Norquist slaves. It's going to blow up in your face because no matter how fast you spin it everyon knows just where your allegience lays.

NeighborOfTheBeast:

"EVERY SINGLE THING HE HAS DONE SINCE HIS IMMACULATION!"

What does that even mean? How do you get immaculated? Is that even a word because my spell check puts a red line under it!

Clearly you didn't read where Leon Panetta (Obama's guy) stated that cutting more from the already scheduled cuts would leave the DOD unprepared to meet the needs of the nation.

And I hope you heard Panetta say that the DOD has no idea how much money they are spending, what they are spending it on, or how much they will need to continue spending 0n whatever the hell they are buying! He as much as admitted that the DOD HAS NO ACCOUNTING SYSTEM! . They have had carte blanche for so long they HAVE LOST TRACK!

Personally that is the most unacceptable thing I have heard all year, and this was a year of TOTAL INSANITY!

Hell the Demograps have'nt been able to figure what they have spent since 2008 they have been on a binge so are you surprised that the Democrap Panetta can't figure what they spend they are only good at spending not budgeting!!!

How about stopping all health care for people who smoke and heavy drinkers? Someone who smokes pays a bit more in health care insurance and then the rest of the people have to pony up $500,000 for a lung transplant. Or $200,000 for a new liver for the heavy drinkers. Why do we who don't smoke or drink have to take on the extra expense for these idiots who smoke and drink? Take them down and get us off the hook for their risky behavior. Stupid government wants to allow people to smoke on one hand and the surgeon general tells these idiots it is bad for them. We take away driver's licenses from bad drivers. We should take away health insurance and hospital treatment for people who smoke and drink heavily. They know the risks so let them pay for their own doctors and hospitals.

Interesting thought on insurance, @lastone home. But what about the obese, the real monsters on the actuarial tables? As toxic as smoking and drinking are, obesity is the gateway for heart disease, cancer, diabetes -- all kinds of problems that drive up the rates for the rest of us.

Ironic thing is that because I'm a small-boned woman with a high metabolism, I had to argue for coverage because the angels at Anthem Blue Cross/aka Coffin insisted that I had an eating disorder. They had no proof whatsoever (I was eating a big old Stilton cheese spread on crackers while arguing with them), but they insisted that I didn't meet the standards for someone of my height.

In a nation of fat people, a thin person is... a freak, though a freak who hasn't had more than a slight cold in almost ten years.

You have to start somewhere and smoking and drinking are two prime areas. I had three alcoholic grandparents. A friend who died of emphysema and he smoked even in the oxygen tank. John Houston the movie director was using an oxygen tank but refused to be seen in public with it. Mickey Mantle was an alcoholic and he jumped the line to get a new liver but he died anyhow.

The money that can be saved by vigorous enforcing the smoking and drinking rules on health insurance and care can be put into schools to increase play ground activities and increased gym classes. You know as well as I do what is causing the obesity problem in children. Lack of activity. Sitting at the computer and being couch potatoes. I always had a weight problem. Then I got it under control going to the gym five nights a week for 2-3 hours. Simple less food and more activity. Teach the parents and the schools and enforce it.

Your problem, you don't give me enough information but a doctor's examination and letter and getting your senator or congressman involved does wonders. There is an open enrollment period. You might look into that. Health insurance in the states is a bitch. Good luck.

All the issues you raise about healthcare fall into means-testing. You smoke, drink or are overweight, you pay more in premiums/co-pay, etc.

Yep, maybe we should all double up and send it to Barney Frank.

James, Hell will freeze over before they'll Compromise on anything...they think it is "my way or the highway"! Can't wait for the elections...OWS protesters see right through their charade...Obama/Biden 2012

And don't worry, OWS is gonna up the ante on November 23rd in Washington! See you there...

Hey Jimbo, it was Obama who created the SuperComitee, not the Republicans. It was designed to fail, designed to stagnate, designed to get absolutely NOTHING done. How else can you explain 6 Repubs and 6 Dems with no tie-breaking vote? It just further highlights how inept Obama is as a leader, and how clueless he is when it comes to financial matters. I wouldn't hire him to run a lemonade stand.

@Mike-1817409 when obama had an all democratic congress what did he do for the American public. Now his democratic congress stops anything conservative getting out of the house of representatives.

Neighbor: Ever set that Obama hatred thing aside and do a little thinking??? Obama did not CREATE the super committee and he is not King yet. ( Although with all the "reforms" the right wing is pushing they will need to elect a King and a dictator to get any of it done)

Suoer Committee:

RePOOPlicans: "Its our way or the highway"

Democrats: " What, we have a highway, where?" LOL

I agree, the Republicans seem to be a lot quieter since last Tuesday's elections where they appear to have gotten slapped across the hands and by the global spread of OWS. Looks like "hard-right" was not the message of 2010!

Rick many numbers,

Naw, just send it to those guys that really deserve it.They could use a double bagger to go with their Tea.

Jeff you forgot about the 529 million that Biden pushed through for that Finnish company that promised to build electric cars in Delaware, Biden's home state. The company promised thousands of American jobs. They took the money and ran to Finland. Seems like Obama and good olde Biden forgot to put in the contract for the 529 million dollars that the money "HAD TO BE SPENT IN THE U.S."

Jeff -725167 Though I tend to vote Democratic ... I agree with you!

lastonehome Agree with you as well my friend. Biden and the Harvard bunch of advisors to Pres. OBama are not the brightest bulbs in the bunch.

I ask you both???
If 435 representatives and 100 senators elected to do a "JOB" for us cannot perform, how is the "Super Committee" formed by being selected by supposed leaders Boehner and Reid going to accomplish anything rationale?

When you think about it if this super committee does come up with a plan who is he to not accept it? Go SUPER COMMITTEE call his bluff!!!

Jeff, what bluff? He said for them not to try to overturn the trigger or he would veto it. He said nothing about agreeing to what they agree to. What have you been smoking.

Your right --- with the both parties doing their best to make it a grid lock committee they need to produce for the good on the country. Go large with the cuts!

Overturning auto trigger would mean a credit downgrade by Moodys and ANOTHER by S&P.

the super commitee has already been bought by the lobbyists, on both sides, so you get what you get, you nor I matter. stop fighting kids, we do not matter, to either side.

Jeffrey

I'm glad you pointed that Obama welched on the deal he had with Boehner. So many liberals like to accuse the republicans of refusing to deal.

if it gets past the best Congress that corporate donations and plantation-minded billionnaires can buy.

the DOD is about 23% of the total federal budget. So I hope you heard Panetta say that the DOD has no idea how much money they are spending, what they are spending it on, or how much they will need to continue spending on whatever the hell they are buying! He as much as admitted that the DOD HAS NO ACCOUNTING SYSTEM! . They have had carte blanche for so long they HAVE LOST TRACK!

Personally that is the most unacceptable thing I have heard all year, and this was a year of TOTAL INSANITY!

Let the automatic cuts kick in, that's what they asked for , that's what they get!

James. +1 for your post however do you have a link available? Thanks man.

Obama/Colbert 2012

Below is a quote and a link on how much the US spends on its military as compared to the next 17 largest spending countries on their military:

China's defense spending has risen by nearly 200% since 2001 to reach an estimated $119 billion in 2010—though it has remained fairly constant in terms of its share of GDP. America's own budget crisis is prompting tough discussions about its defence spending, which, at nearly $700 billion, is bigger than that of the next 17 countries combined.

Do we really need to spend nearly 6 times what China spends, and more than the next 17 countries combined.

Let me remind you of one thing here, China hasn't been targeted by the terrorists! China didn't have a 9/11 did they? China doesn't have Mexico on their southern border!

Twoshadows, to answer your question, YES! The Chinese army outnumbers ours by 20-1, so we absolutely MUST maintain a technological advantage over them. As for the next 17? Did it occur to you that many, if not most, of those countries are not on the friendliest terms with the U.S.? Both North Korea and Vietnam have larger militaries than we do, and they are a fraction of our population. Iraq, pre-Desert Storm, had the fourth largest military on the planet. There are nations out there who would overrun us in a heartbeat if we showed any signs of weakness, don't kid yourself. Our oceans are not the deterrent they once were. We could be brought to our knees with a cyber attack launched from an internet cafe in Kazakhstan, or an EMP blast in the atmosphere that would knock us back to the steam era. America is the world's ONLY hope for freedom and liberty. I find it appalling that I should have to remind you of that on Veteran's Day.

You forget we have tactical nuclear weapons. And the leaders of all these "HOSTILE" nations want to go home to filet mignon dinners, servants, satellite tv, flat screen tvs, their computers and have their chauffers drive them around in their Mercedes. One or two tactical nuclear bombs negates all those privileges for them. Numbers in the army don't count. Without their leaders they are just a mob. And a U.S. tactical nuclear bomb is easily bigger than anything dropped on Japan.

What are these leaders going to do? Live underground the rest of their lives and who are they going to control?

But nuclear weapons leave a radioactive legacy that all of us get to enjoy for thousands of years. Did you ever wonder why cancer has proliferated to such an extent in the last few decades?

Melissa tactical nuclear weapons affect a small area and they are a threat. Now if you want a 15 mile radius around a dictator's house to be affected and his fallout shelter area, would you want to be the target if you were a dictator. I would first send them a dvd with an example of that would happen to them. Should be sufficient and if not then they lose what power and benefits they had.

Adidas,

Leon Panetta was testifing before congress and segments were broadcast on TV. I just happened to see it. I summarized what he said, but it was clear that DOD really does not know how much they actually spend, or where it goes. I think Panetta is a good man, and I was glad that he brought this all forward. I think the Pentagon has been spoiled rotten by decades of lack management. They have had a blank check handed to them and no one will dare challenge what they are doing with it. The same examination should be made of DOE, gaurdians of our nations nuclear resources. They are another Federal Department that is considered sacrosanct and above petty little considerations like a BUDGET!

Twoshadows:

We do not need to spend anywhere near what we spend currently on defense. In fact, lets start calling it what it really is, we spend TRILLIONS not on defense, but on OFFENSE! And we can put a stop to the OFFENSE immediately. We need to spend money and resources on intelligence gathering, it does no good to build a gigantic hammer if we don't know where to use it. In fact we don't even need a huge hammer, or conventional army, we need a smart army of trained specialist who act on verifiable intelligence. And that intelligence needs to be the very best in the world. We need to focus our technology on intelligence gathering rather than bozo weapons systems.

Its not the emporor's fault, please read below.

Bill is just mad that he lives in a tree hugger (blue) state. I escaped Arizona and moved to PDX in 1995. Hey bill you should move to Marana, Maricopa, or Pima County. Lots of places to unload your anger, your SKS, your AR15, and your MAK 90

The president and every elected official are our "PUBLIC SERVANTS"! Why should they be a privileged class because we sent them to Washington D.C. to represent us? What makes them any better than the rest of us. If they were doing a good job, I could see some rewards but they stink at the job they are doing. Get them out and put in all independents.

He has no choice, the cuts are to be across the board. This will get blamed on the rePOOPlicans, they wanted this committee set up in the first place. Horrible ideas yield horrible results.

He's a nobody, and nobody elected him. The only question is why does anyone listen to him?

@James... Because Norquist eats his own. Basically, his SuperPAC will find another republican to run against the republican who breaks his Norquist oath, and spend millions doing it. These fools who signed the Norquist oath signed away their lives.

Stupid is as stupid does.

Give'em hell Cathy!

Grover is a Great American. Now if you are looking for someone that spends billions on funding antiAmerican groups google George Soros. Read how he made his money, especially in his early days, he is a truly evil person and rules the Democrat party.

"UncleSam," what you just said proves you know little-to-nothing about those two men, Grover Norquist and George Soros. Watch Fox News and listen to Rush Limbaugh, much?

Why don't you run a Wikipedia or do a Google search on their names for their histories, and study who they are an what they believe in, before you start spouting your emotional labels.

Grover's "no-taxes contract" is resented by some Republicans. Does that make Norquist a, "Great American"? And what is your definition of, "antiAmerican"?

And Soros didn't want G.W. Bush to win another term as President in the White House because he saw in Bush elements of fascism and nazism that Soros experienced as a child. That's why Soros paid into campaigns to try to stop Bush from getting re-elected ...and that's why neocons like you hate him.

While you're at it, why don't you study up on what the Koch Brothers have been backing, and then ask yourself are the Kochs trying to make me vote against my own interests, or, do you believe that Fox News commentator-propagandists are correct in saying the Kochs are "patriots"?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grover_Norquist

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Soros

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Industries

None of those things are actually in the red. The Post Office, for instance, has been pre paying for all their future medical cost for FORTY YEARS into the future. Congress was shocked to see that the PO was actually turning a profit, so they made them pre pay medical cost for FORTY YEARS into the future for employees they haven't even hired yet. Geniuses huh? You got to be careful, congress does a lot of creative accounting!

The DOD is about 23% of the total federal budget. So I hope you heard Panetta say that the DOD has no idea how much money they are spending, what they are spending it on, or how much they will need to continue spending on whatever the hell they are buying! He as much as admitted that the DOD HAS NO ACCOUNTING SYSTEM! . They have had carte blanche for so long they HAVE LOST TRACK!

Personally that is the most unacceptable thing I have heard all year, and this was a year of TOTAL INSANITY!

Let the automatic cuts kick in, that's what they asked for , that's what they get!

The amount of utter lies the righties post here is beyond belief. Social Security, Medicare all in the red. Where do you get these lies from?

Yes, the PO is running a deficit, but that can be addressed if congress will approve the fixes.

Post office has its hand out ever year just like every other department. Fact is everyone with a budget needs to overspend every year or the accounting brains in charge will reduce that amount next year unlike the real business would that pays bonuses for coming in under budget. The other fact is they will give false project cost to get something approved knowing full well once they spend the money they will get the remaining to complete it. Sound like ObamaCare and Solyndra? Heck these guys will probably try to give themselves a pay raise after they get this done.

Jeff, what kind of work do you do in the real world?

go-getter, bet he was turned down for a job at the post office! I know one thing, he needs an education besides Fox News..

James, how many more threads are you going to post your crap on? I've seen the exact same words, verbatim, on at least 5 different threads on this page. Got anything original, or are you just going to continue to spew the same liberal talking points over and over and over and over....?

My original comment was for James, not Jeff...getting the J's mixed up. But to Jeff, yes, if agencies cannot justify their appropriations, they get cut...that's how the big machine works. Now, on to the topic at hand...slashing across the board cuts. It is being debated the republicans set it (super committee) up for failure. I tend to disagree. Back when this was established, we had just been downgraded and all hell was breaking loose. This was a quick measure to get some time to work out the cuts. Now, here we are waiting for this super committee to produce some magic and glitter and whatever else that can shine to show a significant effort to lower our debt and spending (and produce/pass a bill). It is obvious the plan was to put pressure on the committee to place a seriousness in resolution but given the time to look at the prospect of automatic cuts and after crunching numbers, DOD has said these automatic cuts would be catastrophic. Here now the republican lawmakers are saying this cut would be too harmful to allow. Its not that they planned for failure, but more so aware of the consequence of failure.

Jeff.. the govt doesnt fund the post office... clowns to the left of me jokers the right

to Mike--

Back in '93, I used to work for a supervisor who had served in the Quartermaster's brigade in the Coast Guard, so he knew all about appropriations. He told me that towards the end of the fiscal year, they were ordered to spend whatever was left in their budget, even if it was on trivial things like paper clips or toothpaste, even if they already had everything they needed, because, if they didn't, they wouldn't get the same amount approved for the next year. Jeff is right.

Neighbor of the ?? , Thanks for reading:

here YA go, one more time, just as a reminder:

RePOOPlicans = Those who keep spouting the same old crap and it still stinks.

Go Getter,

In the real world I am a senior level commercial real estate developer. Yep, I have been paving over the planet for something like thirty years so you will have somewhere to park your gas guzzler. I have always tried to maintain an apolitical stance, that's better for business, and that was working fairly well until the ultra right wing wackos started to insult my intelligence with their ridiculous statements. I now view them as dangerous nut cases with guns who are appealing their case to the lowest common denominator, ala the Jerry Springer Show. I guess they think they can get the snaggled toothed trailer trash away from their TV's long enough to go out and vote. I know they will never succeed but I can't stand the selfish greed, racism, and hatred they are peddling. Unfortunately I see the GOP embracing this crowd as if they were old buddies. I use to respect the GOP, but this new romance of theirs has totally turned me off. I sincerely hope that some Statesman will emerge from the GOP somewhere, somehow, and get them back on track and making positive contributions to the process. Currently their leadership seems to me to be excessively petty, taciturn, grumpy, obstructionist, stupid, mean spirited, and completely devoid of any concern for the American People. In fact they have managed to demean and disparage almost every segment of the American demographic at one time or another. I can't understand how they really hope to get elected for anything much more than dog catcher.

Huntsman, LaHood, Gates and other Republicans of whom put country before party are our (all americans) only hope. Huntsman's knowledge of another culture that, many consider VASTLY different than his (their) own, in itself shows humility, tact, logic.

Lets take EMOTION out of the equation. From this point on I will make statements that may be interpreted as sexist. I would like to apologize to anyone who does in advance as that is not my intent. Ok so... until recently, women could not hold COMBAT POSITIONS. That is because men are less likely to break down on the battlefield from PTS compared to women of whom are nurturing by nature. Women are engineered to mother not kill.

So, all strong men with conservative values (and progressives) need to stop acting like WOMEN and quit with making decisions derided with EMOTION. *** ignore the fact that i sound somewhat emotional rite now haha**

If you are not in MILITARY service you are in the CIVIL service. We are all brothers and sisters. Anger problem? Are you smuggling syringes of ROIDS across the Mexico Border to get JUICED? No?Ok then. Taking a nice dump on the can? PINCH IT OFF SOLDIER! Gentlemen...We all must be UNITED... INDIVISIBLE.... USA is #1 yes? Well when #1 there are haters, groupies, associates, paparazzi, partners, shareholders, competitors, lawsuits, and so on to infinity.

Lets all think with our heads guys (and girls), less heart. To return full circle... Huntsman, LaHood, Gates and other Republicans of whom put country before party are our (all americans) only hope.

Rick if the government does not run the Post Office then why is it when they fall short and need to increase the cost of the stamp they just do not just go ahead without government approval? Yes I watch Fox, CNN, MSNBC everyone is pushing their view.

@Rick Colo...

If we need a super committee to do the job of a Congress it must mean we do not need that many useless individuals now that currently make up a Congress! Does that make sense to you?

Been thinking that for quite a long time now!!!

And your demoslug's motto should be "ask not what your country can do for you, it's how much can I pilfer from my country."

@ slide 6

It's Democraps!!!!

ludvig, it is a pity that you do not know who you are quoting....!

A) It was the tea pot fools running around with the goofy Medicare signs.

B) If you really are on Medicare you don't know much about it.

C) You should not be allowed to vote.

EXACTLY, I hope that is what happens as well. The repugs don't have a prayer in hell of winning the election, we'll see to that. I am the 99%

Well, if we're all so wrong and you got all the answers, why ain't a classy windbag like yourself on a ballot somewhere? That way we can elect you and send you off to DC to take the heat.

What a dope.

no sir, you can not fix the government from within, the people must. Have you seen change from obama yet? nope. It can't be done these is no wiggle room for him. I am not saying I have all the ideas thats why at the end I put " add your own ideas" . Its too bad people like you think we should keep going the way we are... who is the dope now? At least I am throwing ideas around. and I am right... the system is broken.

Can't you see that? Steveo

Where did this concept come from that somehow we can elect a King who will change everything by Imperial Edict, wave his magic wand, and everything will be OK??. This is a representative democracy, ain't going to happen, we live in uncertainty and chaos, embrace it , go with it, and forget this broad sweeping fantasy nonsense. Hello Tea Baggers, are you listening?? Of Course not!

James- i am not suggesting a king, I am suggesting restarting the government with less red tape, less waste, more ability, and more caring for "we the people" I am against a "king" as you put it, but a party to strip the government to its bones, the rebuild the muscles with less middlemen and less wasting of our money, and put it back (roughly) the way it was... i refuse to embrace chaos when it could be so much better... i for one do not want the Departments of energy,education etc.. to go anywhere, i want them to be more efficient, i am a democrat. This would save the people billions of dollars... but hey, if you want to keep the dead horse going, beat it some more.... maybe it will twitch every once and a while...

I totally agree!! askquestions. very well put. but how do we do this? just saw a posting other day stating the the fed govt is hiring!! why?? these people do not do anything now!! so why add more to the overwhelming budget?? where is this money coming from?? as for the post office they will be gone in the very near future. then where will our govt get money or steal it from next?? our govt are treated like professional sports players, when they cry, they get what they want!!! why do we keep paying??? average jo can not take his family to any sports game, too much money, but somehow he(we) find money and keep paying. radical change is the answer. thank you

So, you will be introducing amendments to the Constitution so you can implement your ideas? Good luck with that.

WOW, what the hell are you smoking?

THANK YOU! @askquestions, all I read on here is a bunch bulls#%! (Your ugly... no, your ugly... no) The left believes they are 100% right, and the right believes the same. When you surround yourself with only people that agree with your point of view you will never see your own flaws. Most of what I have read on here makes me wish the 2012 prophecy would come true. "A Wise man knows he knows nothing"~Socrates But ofcourse all of you on here saying things like: tea baggers, and libercraps and sending dog crap in a box are just so much smarter than everybody else, and have other people on here telling you that you are..... F%$# OFF, all of you.

Meanwhile the Campaigner-in-Chief is out playing "Where's Waldo" with Air Force One.

Another bigoted comment form the clueless.

Half and Half??? Mr. Mocha to you buddy!

the dems have the majority in the senate really with a 60 vote rule, it's not running the senate it's babysitting the senate...but you knew that obama's never had a rubberstamp senate right...duh....and the house with boehner who has no control over his teaparty a 9% approval wonder why things aren't getting done....yes blame obama for the legislature holding up there end....without the gop obama's doing fine in foreign policy....maybe the people will figure out what the problem is with the congress...that' its a republican one...

Pureamerica must be a "Pureblood" vampire or wizard/witch.

Harry Potter 2012

i can't believe you listen to proamerican who has no clue about the reality of the 60 vote rule that the repub fillibuster everything obama has sent so no one can even vote.....boehner's house is just the biggest joke every documented for proof worst ever do nothing....sorry facts are facts....83 % of american disapprove....next year boehner only having 109 days instead of this years 149....and you try and tell me cops and firefighter earn to much no if anyone earns to much it's the congress lead by republican or as in the case of the senate prevented from doing their's ......pelosi had a 40 approval of house boehner 9% who's not doing the job obama or the goofs congress...we'll never know till the republicans start putting the country first not there party

YEP, 9%, worst in history! Republican thugs..

marc huff and mike-1817409 go down to the pub and keep your drunk up. Obama had two years with an all democratic congress and they didn't like him or do any good for the American People. Now you got the conservatives and liberals fighting and you can see the difference. Or can you. You both sound so bleary eyed and uneducated, it sounds like you both got thrown out of the same bar.