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Subscribe to RSSThe budget beat goes on… Could the White House have cut a better fiscal-cliff deal?... Is Ryan’s upcoming budget really a serious budget?... The GOP takes center stage over the next eight days (CPAC, RNC autopsy, Iraq war anniversary)… Jeb’s full 360 on citizenship for illegal immigrants… And Obama’s expected Labor pick: Tom Perez.
*** The budget beat goes on: While the biggest political story in the world this week is taking place in Vatican City, the biggest story in Washington this week remains the budget debate -- over whether the Obama White House can still strike a “grand bargain” deal with Republicans. On Tuesday, Obama heads to Capitol Hill to meet with Senate Democrats; on Wednesday, he visits House Republicans; and on Thursday, the meetings are with Senate Republicans and House Democrats. Also this week, House Republicans and Senate Democrats are expected to unveil their budgets. One of the big reasons for Obama’s meetings with Democrats and Republicans is to keep the budget momentum going -- to see if Washington can reach some kind of larger budget agreement (to eliminate or soften the sequester cuts) without disrupting the other parts of Obama’s agenda (like on immigration and guns). The more positive momentum there appears to be for now, the less likely it is there’s a disruption before the fall on, say, government funding or debt ceiling. If there’s the sense of stalled momentum on budget, then the acrimony could bleed into other areas, like immigration, and stall everything. That’s what the White House is trying to avoid. But let’s also realize the other motivation for the Obama outreach: The president wasn’t gaining points by being in standoff mode (if anything, he was losing them in the polls). The White House wants that high ground back.
Chuck Todd reports on the House Republican and Senate Democrat budget plans to be released this week and how these dueling plans show two very different approaches to the role of the U.S. government.
*** Could the White House have cut a better fiscal-cliff deal? This was inevitable after Washington’s inability to avoid the sequester spending cuts, but Democrats are beginning to criticize the Obama White House for not cutting a better deal during the fiscal-cliff negotiations. The New York Times: “‘There’s a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking,’ said Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Budget Committee. The second-guessing extends to virtually every aspect of the deal: its failure to postpone the automatic budget cuts for more than two months, its failure to raise the federal debt limit and its yield of $600 billion in new tax revenue over 10 years out of $4 trillion of new taxes that would have taken effect had the Bush tax cuts been allowed to expire.” In other words, many Democrats wish the White House would have let all the Bush tax cuts expire after Jan. 1 to put more pressure on the GOP for better deal. But ask yourself: Would the Dow Jones be where it is today had we gone over the cliff? What about February’s jobs numbers? What about progress on immigration reform? And that’s what the White House will argue -- that they got the best deal they could on taxes without disrupting the economy. But the White House did miscalculate the sequester pressure. They really believed that the same group of Republicans who pressed leaders to cave on taxes would press leaders to cave on sequester. That just didn’t happen.
*** Is Ryan’s budget a serious budget? As mentioned above, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan will unveil the GOP’s latest budget on Tuesday. Per the Chicago Tribune, it plans to balance the budget in 10 years (thanks in part to assuming the new tax hikes as well as the $716 billion in cuts to Medicare that Ryan and Mitt Romney said they would eliminate); it will transform Medicare into a voucher/premium support system for future seniors (under 55); and it calls for the elimination of Obama’s health-care law. But is this a serious budget? Or is it simply a political document? After all, it calls for repealing Obamacare but assumes the $716 billion in cuts that Obamacare created. It contains the voucher/premium support changes to Medicare that both Ryan and Romney largely campaigned on in 2012 -- and they lost the election. We know why Ryan’s budget includes repealing Obamacare (the GOP base wants it, and Ryan would have received plenty of attention from the media had it NOT been in there). But its inclusion makes it look unserious; Obamacare is the law of the land, and the Supreme Court and the 2012 election decided that. What’s interesting is that Ryan is being fairly open about the political aspects of his budget, admitting some things (like Obamacare) are non-starters. But the fact he has to include them tells you more about how Republicans plan to pass this budget (for now) -- they want 218 Republicans to pass this, period. Save the compromise budget fight for post-reconciliation (if there is such a thing).
Mandel Ngan / AFP - Getty Images file photo
President Barack Obama shakes hands with House Speaker John Boehner after delivering his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress on February 12, 2013 at the Capitol in Washington, DC.
*** The GOP takes center stage: But while the budget remains this week’s biggest political story, the other one to watch over the next eight days will be the story of the Republican Party -- four months removed from its defeat in 2012. There’s the jam-packed CPAC conference (which takes place from Thursday through Saturday), the Republican National Committee’s autopsy of the ’12 election (which comes out on Monday, March 18), and the 10th anniversary of the Iraq war (Tuesday, March 19). Over the next few days, we’ll be looking at the state of the Republican Party by using data from our most recent NBC/WSJ poll. Speaking of the Iraq war, here’s what former Florida Jeb Bush said about his brother George W. Bush on “Meet the Press” yesterday: “So my guess is that history will be kind to my brother, the further out you get from this and the more people compare his tenure to what's going on now. I think -- I think history will be kind to George W. Bush.”
*** Jeb’s full 360 on citizenship for illegal immigrants: Also on “Meet” yesterday, Jeb Bush came full circle on supporting citizenship for illegal immigrants after his new book (which he says he wrote before the 2012 election and before the bipartisan Senate framework came out) opposed it. “I support what Sens. Graham and Rubio and McCain and Flake are doing with their Democratic counterparts. And if they can find a way to get to a path to citizenship over the long haul, then I would support that,” Bush told NBC’s David Gregory. “But this book was written to try to get people that were against reform to be for it. And it is a place where I think a lot of conservatives should feel comfortable, that there's a way to do this and not violate their principles.” So just to trace Bush’s evolution here: He supported citizenship back in 2012 as well as in a January 2013 WSJ op-ed. Then his new book opposed it (though it sounds like he himself never did oppose it). And after criticism of that opposition, he now says he supports it -- as part of the bipartisan Senate framework. Indeed, the L.A. Times reports that the bipartisan group of senators has “privately agreed on the most contentious part of the draft — how to offer legal status to the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants… The group's current draft is largely in line with President Obama's call to set a pathway to earned citizenship as part of a broader immigration reform package
*** Obama’s Labor pick: Over the weekend, the AP reported that Tom Perez -- who has led the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division since 2009 -- is set to become Obama’s next Labor secretary. “Perez' nomination to the Labor Department could come as early as Monday, the people familiar with the process said Saturday. They spoke on condition of anonymity because the official announcement has not yet been made. White House spokesman Matt Lehrich declined to comment.” Roll Call says that Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R) is raising objections to Perez over the senator’s investigation into a deal that the Justice Department struck with St. Paul. MN. If Obama nominated Perez, here’s our updated look at the cabinet shuffle:
John Kerry at State (replaced Hillary Clinton)
Chuck Hagel at Defense (replaced Leon Panetta
Jack Lew at Treasury (replaced Tim Geithner)
Ken Salazar at Interior (Sally Jewell nominated)
Lisa Jackson at EPA (Gina McCarthy nominated
Steven Chu at Energy (Ernest Moniz nominated)
Hilda Solis at Labor (Tom Perez to be potentially nominated)
Ray LaHood at Transportation (Julian Castro is most recent person to turn down the post)
Commerce (N/A) (Penny Pritzker appears to be the leading candidate)
U.S. Trade Representative (acting OMB Dir. Jeff Zients is leading candidate, he has yet to say yes)
Director of Office of Management and Budget (Sylvia Burwell nominated)
And here are the cabinet secretaries who are remaining:
Janet Napolitano (DHS)
Arne Duncan (Education)
Tom Vilsack (Agriculture)
Eric Holder (Justice)
Kathleen Sebelius (HHS)
Eric Shinseki (Veterans Affairs)
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There are still nuts out there – rwnjs, that is.
Paul Ryan(R-Wis.), a member of the radical Republican members of congress called 'Young Guns,' said Sunday that the budget blueprint he plans to unveil this week will promote repealing President Obama's signature health-care law.
Ryan's budget proposal, which includes controversial proposals for giving states more authority over Medicaid, is sure to encounter stiff resistance from Democrats in Congress who are committed to protecting Obamacare.
Key parts of Ryan's plan are items he and Mitt Romney campaigned on in the election they lost to Obama in November.
One is turning Medicare from a one-size-fits-all insurance program to one that helps subsidize the purchase of policies "based on who you are — total subsidy for the poor and the sick, less of a subsidy for wealthy seniors." Another is turning Medicaid, which pays for health care for the very poor, into a block-grant program that would allow states to craft their own programs.
Voucher/Vulture Redux???
As Rand Paul was staging a 13-hour 'talking' filibuster, GOP Senate silently filibustered Caitlin Halligan.
It is now 2.5 years since President Obama nominated Ms. Halligan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. For the last 40 years, this US second-highest court has had between 8 and 12 active judges. Currently there four vacancies and seven judges.
Again GOP Senate denied Ms. Halligan a simple up/down vote: Under GWB, Mitch McConnell held that if a nominee has the majority, a simple up/down vote should be confirmed. However for the last 4 years he has required a 60-vote threshold, even for nominations needed to keep government agencies & the courts functioning. Previously, McConnell held that a nomination like Halligan's could only be filibustered for reasons of ethics or qualifications - and neither here applies.
President Obama's nominees have been waiting for confirmation, on average 225 days.
By contrast, GWB's nominees awaited confirmation for 90 days.
Today, GOP routinely requires the supermajority of 60 votes instead of 51. GOP Senate's everyday, silent, relentless, unprecedented abuse of the filibuster is not mentioned in the Press.
As we say in the vernacular:
For the last 4 years, GOP Senate has been getting away with bloody murder.
It seems to me the things we learned this weekend would fit into a thimble. Brother Jeb said that history will be kind to former president Bush. Who by the way had a republican congress for of his 8 years and took this country from one that was prosperous, with a booming economy and a budget surplus a nation at peace to one that was at war in two different countries. A huge budget deficit and a doubling of our national debt. Now many of these same republicans want to take away from the middle class and poor so they can pay for their mistakes. We as a nation chose Barack Obama because he would fight for the middle class, and ward off these draconian cuts. Mr. Obama build that wall with congress, do not let them hurt social Security and medicare.
The House/Ryan Budget:
The FY14 budget from the House, written by Paul Ryan is purposely designed to fail to get a vote in the Senate.
Beyond the heavy-duty austerity that will put us back into a recession the budget includes the repeal of the ACA (Obamacare).
If they truly wanted to submit a budget that would have a chance of being seriously considered in the Senate, the House (Ryan) would not include items known to be out of bounds for Democrats and even some Republican Senators just like Ryan's last budget that caused some Republicans to vote against it.
So, it looks like Barry’s big plan for the next two years is to return the Wicked Witch of the West to the Speaker’s position in the House in 2015. Too bad Barry suffers from the same lefty liberal delusion as such FR celebrities as David Wanker: He is waaaaaay too impressed with himself. And that “I’m a legend in my own mind” attitude will be Barry’s downfall. I really doubt his faux attempts at wining and dining the House Republicans will last very long. In Barry’s mind, they are simply not worthy of his royal attention.
BTW, on my business trip last week I saw a great bumper sticker:
Re-electing Obama is like the Titanic
backing up and ramming the iceberg for a second time
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
From Politico:
Dems' big 2014 obstacle: President Obama
By: Alex Isenstadt
March 11, 2013 04:36 AM EDT
President Barack Obama says he’s ready to do whatever it takes to help Democrats win the House next year — a feat that could make the difference between limping to the end of his presidency and going out with a bang.
But some Democratic candidates and operatives in the districts on which control of the House will hinge said in interviews with POLITICO that the message and issues Obama has emphasized since the election are creating a difficult political headwind for them.
Obama’s political choices, they say, reflect a tone-deafness to the challenges they face competing for moderate and conservative-leaning seats.
To net 17 seats and flip the chamber, Democrats have to win predominantly on GOP turf, in districts that Mitt Romney won and where Obama and his agenda are unpopular. A number of Democrats made clear in interviews that the more partisan posture Obama has adopted over the past few months — particularly on cultural issues like gun control, and to a lesser extent on immigration and gay marriage — is making an uphill slog that much steeper.
Beware of Jeb Bush
Read my lips, no more Bushes
There's at least two sides to every story, we're told. That's just not always true. What is true is that there are millions upon millions of points of view. To a man dying of thirst, water is the best thing in the world. To a drowning man, it is the worst. Point of view notwithstanding, water is key to our survival. Too much, you die. Too little, you die. One truth, many views.
We argue over many issues, even though some positions are demonstrably false. Some people believe the earth is flat. Some believe in a virgin birth. Some believe the earth is only 6,000 years old. The vast majority of people believe that's nonsense.
Pictures from outer space show us the world is spherical. No living human has verifiable proof of a virgin birth. One field of science after another tells us the world is billions of years old. Yet deniers abound. They do not merely ignore proof that counters their beliefs, they insist it is wrong, and with absolutely no proof of their own. So it is with views that shape the direction in which our country moves into the future, doesn't move at all, or even moves backwards.
It is not merely the last 30 years that show trickle-down economics to be false. All of history shows this. The rich, and their functionaries, do not create jobs. What they do is keep the wealth of the real creators, the working class. They don't share it, they create slaves, and take every cent from the economy they can. That's not bomb-throwing socialist rhetoric. It's demonstrable fact. Yet deniers have the gall to tell us the rich must have more because the poor are getting a free ride. That is a lie. It is not the other side of the story. The truth is the rich are robbing the poor.
So it is with global warming. Not one shred of credible evidence shows the earth is not warming. Indeed, the evidence shows global warming is accelerating and the primary culprit is man. Without so much as a shred of evidence, deniers say this is not true. They don't have another side of the story. They have a lie. The rich must pollute the air, water, and soil because they are not rich enough.
This is the modus operandi of the rich whose only goal is to accumulate MORE: More money, more wealth, more power, more control. They lie and they pay accomplished liars to achieve their goals. We saw Mitt Romney tell one lie after another. His supporters didn't care. What kind of morals do these people have that allows them to ignore lie after lie? We're not liars, we're not bigots, we're not racists, they say. Yes, they are. They aren't presenting another side of the story. They lie and they lie for a price. It is all about greed, and greed is NOT good.
Fracking? It means cheap energy without any negative consequences. They lie. Tobacco? An incredibly toxic poison that brings horrible, vicious death to many, but profits to the peddlers. They pitch a good side that does not exist. They lie. Corporations? The pursuit of profit, without liability for the profiteers. There is no other side to that. They lie.
We are under no obligation to pretend there are two sides to every story. We are under no obligation to tolerate liars who tell us we have a duty to hear them out. Indeed we have a duty to bring these liars into the light of day. Do we tell our children we will not tolerate their lies? Of course we do. Why would we tolerate lies from people we don't even know, worse, from people who call themselves patriots, and worst, from people who tell us they are our friends?
The House/Ryan Budget:
The FY14 budget from the House, written by Paul Ryan is purposely designed to fail to get a vote in the Senate. Beyond the heavy-duty austerity that will put us back into a recession the budget includes the repeal of the ACA (Obamacare).
_________________________________
Gee, Dennis, are the Senate Dems too stupid or incompetent to amend the parts of the bill they don't like and then pass it??
Back to Reality
Paul Ryan you cannot repeal Obamacare. It's been tried by your crazy party over 30 times and failed. When a FOX NOISE HOST says you can't-do it; you should listen.
Crazy is doing the same thing over and over expecting a different outcome.
Are you crazy? Or just plain stupid?
Crazy is as crazy does. Forrest Gump ~quote
Joe:
Just how far did you go on that business trip, because you never got far enough to get outside your delusional bubble.
You still cannot show a single negative factor. Your dead cat is still bouncing higher on Wall Street. The unemployment rate - for whatever value it may have - is back where it was when President Obama took office. The size of the federal deficits continue to shrink.
What you say has absolutely no value.
@backhouse
GOP routinely requires the supermajority of 60 votes instead of 51. GOP Senate's everyday, silent, relentless, unprecedented abuse of the filibuster is not mentioned in the Press.
WRONG!!!
The Federal budget falls under the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974. The budget cannot be filibustered. It only needs a simple majority to pass.
(BTW, that's how Obamacare came into being. The Democrats passed it under "budget reconciliation")
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congressional_Budget_and_Impoundment_Control_Act_of_1974
(what flavor is the kool-aid today?)
"So my guess is that history will be kind to my brother, the further out you get from this and the more people compare his tenure to what's going on now. I think -- I think history will be kind to George W. Bush."
Yup. In just a short 150 years, the history books section on the collosal failure of George W. Bush and the demise of the republicon party will be reduced to just a blip on the radar, much like Millard Filmore and whig party.
And if Jeb Bush runs for president, do you think he'll bring his brother out from W's political nuclear winter...to the cheers of the republicon masses??
Jeb is delusional if he thinks his brother will be thought of kindly, he is also delusional if he thinks The Bush name is not toxic......dream on Jeb.
Daily we are reminded of how the horrible policy decisions made by your brother and his administrationare continuing to impact our lives and not in a good way.
If only you, your brother, your party, would acknowledge mistakes were made and how can we (your party) help make it right now, we could move a lot forward in bringing us back to where we should be. Your party's inability to officially acknowledge such misbegotten policies are part of the problem in Washington, instead you double down on obstruction in making it more difficult for moving the country forward.
Albany Joe- Even Ryan says his budget is not realistic. Why should anyone take it seriously? LOL Sheesh!
David -- Wonderful post and well said!
Gee 22, reading comprehension problem? Backhouse was talking about the GOP, and its use of the filibuster to stop president Obama's nominations to the courts. Seems to me the budget is a no brainer, vote no and a majority of senators will vote no to lyan Ryans budget. Why bring it up in the first place, just another shot at the middle class, those that work, by those that don't. Congress.
“So my guess is that history will be kind to my brother, the further out you get from this and the more people compare his tenure to what's going on now. I think -- I think history will be kind to George W. Bush.”
This is Republican "personal responsibility" at its best. What hypocrites
Pondering Hind or Fore Sight. Could the Obama administration have cut a better fiscal-cliff deal? Considering the numnuts and naybobbers in the GOP, that is a silly question. One cannot deal with whack-a-dos who do not believe in government, and are not serious about solving this country's many problems.
Is Paul Ryan's latest budget a serious one? Considering he is one of the GOP numnuts and naybobbers, the answer is clearly NO. It is not serious to eviscerate programs such as social security and medicare in favor of tax breaks for the rich and famous, tax loopholes to support the capitalism of favoritism. Hardly a Christian thing to do especially considering Ryan claims that his priniciples are based on his Catholic faith--never mind that Catholic groups send him scathing letters of condemnation.
Perhaps the media would better serve the public if it asked questions and focused on the GOP's multi-faceted lies, its foot dragging, its filibustering, its lack of proposing anything serous, etc.
Hi, Gingerbread Mamma (#1.15)
yeah, Ginger, Jeb is a Hypo, a hypocrite, that is. So obvious, as obvious as an elephant in the room.
Joe,
[Gee, Dennis, are the Senate Dems too stupid or incompetent to amend the parts of the bill they don't like and then pass it??]
While only a simple majority vote needed to pass a budget in the senate amendments will need 60 votes given the minority / filibuster rule. Which means there is zero chance that those amendments will ever get
included.
You folks are upset with the Ryan budget, but you were fine with the Presidents proposal that got voted down 97-0.
Talk about unrealistic.
Do any of you ever remember the things you post here?
Dont_carry_it_all
Dont_carry_it_all
The Republican governors asking for Obamacare obviously don't take little Eddie Munster seriously; either.
Why is Jeb Bush in the new? What's his plan? He didn't say, he was just beating around the Bushes
But we all know what he is up to, and our response?
.
NO MORE Bushes in the White House
So spending money we don't have is a good thing? Adding more money to the national debt is a good thing?
Wanting to balance the budget, create a surplus, pay down the debt is "radical"?
I'm glad liberals have their priorities straight.
David...great post and beautifully written.
Republicans once a great powerful party is falling from grace because of the Tea rightwing movement !!!
What's with Jeb Bush? I always thought of him as the rational most intelligent of the Bush's. But now he's starting to act like his Father and dinbat Brother. "First I'm for it, then I'm against it." Does he flip flop on immigration reform just because he's eyeing a Presidential run? You can't trust any of these clowns. Like Romney, they'll say anything if they think it will get them elected. Take a lesson from his Father and Brother and just say NO THANKS.
1/2/2013 Daily Ticker: “The Republicans may not have gotten everything they wanted out of the Fiscal Cliff deal, but they got almost everything.
And when it comes to the broader fiscal battle, the Republicans are winning: The federal government's tax revenues are at the lowest level as a percent of GDP in the past several decades. The Republicans, in other words, are well on their way to starving the beast.”
It's enough to give one a serious case of whiplash!
Translation from the person who riggged the FL election in 2000; I will say whatever necessary to try to dupe Hispanic voters!
No kidding Bev! Great point.
Paul Ryan's proposed budget should be titled:
Dear Santa!
Joe in Abyss
Sure ya did Joe. Kind of a lot of words for a bumper sticker ... The line is from a May 2012 email sent to lower life on the intelligence scale. Quite a lot of crap you're shoveling today.
Johntho - The spewer of Obama propaganda. Obama was hired to help the Middle Class? In his 4th year on the job, the Middle Class has $4,500 LESS to spend because of his helping the Middle Class! Please Mr. President don't HELP no more. $4,500 less in median income per year, and $1,000 to $2,000 in increased Social Security Tax per year. Wow is that helping the Middle Class. Only Johntho can think taking between $5,500 and $6,500 a year out of the Middle Class is helping.
djo_34 writes:
Tell me you were saying the same thing while President Bush was destroying the budget and running up deficits and the national debt the ENTIRE time he was in office. Tell me you called out Dick Cheney when he said, "Reagan proved that deficits don't matter."
Based on your absolutely worthless post, you are willing to brand the Republican Party as "radical". Since you're on a roll, why don't define "liberals"?
Could the media ; particularly, FOX NOISE stop talking about the White House tours being cut and talk about cut to programs for children, seniors, veterans, education, energy etc. ?
It's was so hilarious to see FOX NOISE interviewing people in front of the WH about tours when channel flipping.
What they should be talking about is the scam the Republicans are trying to pull by make cutting to the middle and poor class for the rich 's benefit.
Uh...that wasn't the President's ACTUAL proposed budget that got voted down. Once again, you've bought into the classic "bait and switch"...and in this case it was a bill submitted by Senator Jeff Sessions that he CLAIMED was the President's budget...but, you see, budgets have actual numbers and are over 2000 pages long. This was NOT what the President actually submitted.
If you doubt me, you are more than welcome to check the Congressional Record...
Senate Republicans did the same thing last year when they wanted to embarass the President. That fake budget also was defeated unanimously 99-0.
What the Libs don't realize here is that in fact Conservatives were NOT happy with the out of control Spending during the Bush administration.
Add to that the Bush on Steroids policies of this administration and our anger has gotten greater.
See, Libbies, we don't put our heads in the sand like you folks. Bush did not do what we elected him to do.
At least we will admit it.
Bev - Hows those 687 MILLION in cuts to Illinois public schools, in just 2 years, caused by Democrats. Any word for them? Bev - who's benefitting from the 678 MILLION taking away from those poor little kids. YOU HYPOCRITE! Just like the rest of you liberals.
geo, STFU, thats so old, and inaccurate even a republican ought to understand it. The president inherited an economy in the trash, he has turned it around and has us headed in the right direction and despite the stupidity that you display daily with these irrelevant numbers that mean nothing except the last president was so bad and the congress so obstructive that the middle class has suffered. Even most right wing idiots understand that he has done a great job, here is a clue for you a vast majority, nearly 5 million votes, reelected this president. Are you that stupid to not understand what a majority means? Stupid geo is stupid was.
djo_34
It's odd that for 6 of the 8 years Bush was in office while Republicans held all 3 chambers that this wasn't a priority, yet maintained their front as the "party of fiscal responsibility". After working hard to escalate the debt, now they suddenly want to pay it off? I know the debt situations frightens quite a few people, but I'm going to see a lot more action on the front of "we want to be the party of balanced finances" before I believe any of what they're selling. Let's see them put forth a realistic plan that will actually pay some of the debt off rather than delivering legislation that they know is DoA in the Senate.
Thankfully they are starting with the repeal of Obamacare. After all, 34th time might just be the charm.
White Collar Auto
Oh they weren't?
So when they were voting to agree with it for 6 years, that was their method of passive resistance to it? Were they channeling their inner Gandhi to show Bush how opposed they were to his spending?
Tell me, how did Bush "spend all of that money" with no support from the House and the Senate, which were Republican controlled for 6 of his 8 years with Republicans trying to stop the "out of control spending during the Bush administration"?
Johntho - Point out the inaccuracy! Assho1e. So $5,500 to $6,500 less to spend is heading in the right direction? MORON! So the President refuses to put on his big boy pants and show some leadership. He did not know what he was being swept into? Boy, sounds like the right guy for the job. Blame Blame Blame . Getting old.
WCA, who is trapped in Bizarro World with the Albanian idiot writes:
Really WCA? Is that why you hit yourself in the head with a hammer? Because it feels so good when you stop? Yup, that's it. We voted to commit fiscal suicide, because it's so stupid we like it.
"Conservatives" passed the budget. President Bush signed it. That's pure, unadulterated fact. You are just plain nuts.
FirstRead on Ryan's budget:
That second sentence answers the question conclusively: OF COURSE it's not a serious budget. It's a bad joke told by an unfunny clown. The budget deficit is nothing compared to the Republicans' intelligence deficit and their sanity deficit.
Walker, why are you so infatuated with my nuts?
Now get off of my leg.
Again.
Here is a complete list of bills vetoed by "The 43rd President of the United States"...
geo-1957883
Why are you so obsessed about Chicago& Il when you don't give a damn; geo?
FYI: Environmental policies in Illinois have pushed the state to be one of the best ranked in the nation for green initiatives. Most recently, Illinois ranked fourth in the nation for clean energy and clean transportation jobs in 2012 by a report issued yesterday from Environmental Entrepreneurs.
Do you live in a state that denies green energy and climate change? Never mind you are in a state of denial period!!!
staring blankly into that pool of water.
but Oblamo is doing what he was elected to do. This is what the Commie liberal wants...just read the FR liberal tool daily posters. 'Fair Share' and 'Common Sense' approaches...speaking in generalities per usual, doesnt take much to woo the uber educated right ;0)
they all seem to have this obsession with the male reproductive organs. Seek help for your sexual depravity and deviant desires
“So my guess is that history will be kind to my brother, the further out you get from this and the more people compare his tenure to what's going on now. I think -- I think history will be kind to George W. Bush.”
Historians look at the RECORD instead of currently fashionable rhetoric, and in that regard, Bush actually has a very good economic record;
The Economy (GDP)
GDP when Clinton left office in 2000 = $9.821 Trillion.
GDP when Bush left office in 2008 = $14.394 Trillion, an increase of 46.6%, or 5.81% per year.
GDP for 2012 (last info available) = $15.602 Trillion, an increase of 8.4%, or 2.1% per year.
The Deficits
Total Deficits for Bush over 8 years = $2.006 Trillion ($251 Billion per year).
Total Deficits for Obama thru 2012 = $5.059Trillion (1,274 Billion per year – 5+ times as much).
Employment (average).
Total Average Employed in 2000 (Clinton's last year) = 131,794,000 jobs
Total Average Employed in 2008 (Bush's last year) = 136,849,000 jobs, for an average gain of 5,054,000 jobs.
Total Average Employed in 2012 (Obama's 4th year) = 133,735,000 jobs, for an average LOSS of 3,114,000 jobs.
Sources for GDP and Deficits - http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals
Source for Employment/Jobs – Official Government Bureau of Labor Statistics -
PS - Using Jimmy Carter's infamous 'Misery Index" (Combined Unemployment % Inflation Rates - lower is better), Bush had the second best average Index over the last 40 years at 8.11% - Clinton's Index was only slightly better at 7.80%. Jimmy Carter got as high as 21.98% in 1980.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misery_index_%28economics%29
Bev - Democrats can't take care of your state, what makes you think that they can take care of the country? Can you not see the hypocrisy in your statements?
What? The two *popcorn* kernels which fill your sack? lol
I can't speak for Walker, but how many times do I have to tell YOU, I'm fascinated by all things miniature!
Now steal my dog whistle line, you predictable loser...
You don't have an original thought residing in the space between your ears!
XOXO
The Old Gal!
GOP Accomplishments since they took over congress !
Boner boozer No wiggle !
Choking on Tebags !
Romney's big flop !
Rubio's Castro ticket !
Jellybean huggers !
Fishing from a toilet !
Proven losers in two elections !
Blueprint to hell !
Lipstick on a Pig !
Grover Norquist !
Crazy halfway house of Tea !
Party of Ccashews !
GWB Fault !
Mothballs on Women's rights !
Slave labor drag !
Block partys !
NRA Lock'n & Load for the kids !
Bush Chickenhawks !
Economy Busters !
Birthers !
Benghazi GOP Fever !
Loopholes rejoice !
GWB depression !
Cayman Islands Romney land !
Foreign aid to Israel for Wars !
Drunes on Fonda's home !
Monkey McCain dysfunction !
Randing Filibusters !
Kicking cans down the road !
Tea throwing gas on GWB's fire !
Nutty H20 attack !
Tea party pollution
Baggers push of Sequester !
If I left anything out just let me know, Bonjour !!!
Roy - You know Johntho won't read those numbers, because everything is just fine. Being a mental midget like Johntho must be bliss.
Love hearing from liberals that believe it is the job of House Republicans to submit a budget acceptable to them. When it is the job of members of the House to submit a budget they feel is in the best interest of the country. So far it has been over 40 years since a Democrat controlled Congress submitted a balanced federal budget, and don't expect one to come from the Democrat led Senate anytime soon. Obama and the Democrats are all about taxes and spending, and blaming someone else for the fact they can control neither. This country is headed for a real fiscal cliff, and right now it is Democrats leading the charge. Obama will leave office with our national debt over 20 trillion, that will be his legacy, and why history will treat him so harshly.
Hey Feisty. Glad to see my dog whistle still works.
You need to quit humping my leg as well.
I do notice you are a bit late this morning.
Did the switch to Daylight Savings Time confuse you?
Spring ahead, Old Gal, Spring Ahead.
geo, you SOB, the fact is those numbers don't belong to Obama, you know it, I know it so shove it. Less money for the middle class and more money for the rich is a republican plan. My advice for you is still STFU until you can understand basic economics. Stupid is a stupid was and geo is stupid.
Jethro, do you think you will accept that appointment as Reichsfuhrer of the Schutzstaffel? Want to play with my sturmgehwer? HAHAHAHAHA
Geeez, Johntho.
Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning?
Lighten up sweetheart.
GBM, not sure how Jeb Bush can possibly think, let alone state, that history will be kind to his brother. If anything, more information and facts about just how the Bush administration lied us into the Iraq war will further destroy Bush 43's presidency; and that is just one of many failures of Bush. If anything, history will NOT be remotely kind to President George W. Bush.
You got one right, geo, the numbers that Roy brings are always inaccurate and usually irrelevant almost as irrelevant as yours. Speaking of mental midgets, go look in a mirror, you will find a small headed one.
Like I was saying... LOL
I give to the faithful FR readers, exhibit "A" & "B"
Now steal my dog whistle line, you predictable loser...
You don't have an original thought residing in the space between your ears!
I rest my case...
Jeb Bush called David Gregory of NBC a crack addict when David asked a question about 2016 campaign ?, "Meet the press" said they been called a lot of things but never a crack addict, Jeb shots back "OK" is heroin addict better for you ?
You really never know what you're gonna to get from this crazy Bush family !!!
Johntho
Seeking is that you?
Cheer up libbies
Wow. Just WOW.
So Jeb Bush thinks history will be kind to GW Bush? I strongly disagree.
GW Bush and his "tax-cut and spend", deregulate everything policies drove up the deficit and ushered in the worst economic collapse since the Great Depression.
Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld severely bungled and mismanaged two unfunded wars and failed to capture or kill Osama Bin Laden. They pulled troops out of Afghanistan to attack Iraq in a totally unnecessary, ill-conceived, and poorly managed endeavor.
The Iraq War was on of the worst cluster-f***s in US military history. Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld sent our troops into battle in insufficient numbers and with out the proper equipment to fulfill their mission.
Even if I could overlook the rush to judgement and poor decision-making that got us into the Iraq War, I could never forgive the lack of strategy and leadership that made it such a debacle.
Rick -- Republicans ran up a huge credit card bill. Democrats are trying to clean up that mess in a responsible way that doesn't harm the economy any further.
Now the irresponsible Republicans are acting as if that spending spree never took place while at the same time trying to insist that bill they ran up be payed by the middle and poor classes. To top it off they're fighting tooth and nail to protect their rich buddies who fund their campaigns.
Fact is Rick Republicans DON"T have the country's best interest at heart, they only have their selfish interests in mind.
WCA, you need to STFU and listen too, every time you open your mouth you are slapped into reality by somebody and you know that. And WCA you can bite me. I don't like you, I don't like what you stand for which by the way is very little besides your ignorance. Anti anything that has to do with the middle class, included but not conclusive to things you care about. Voting against your own self interest, dissing anything Obama and your unreasonable hate for a black man living in the white house. Even against the union that has given you a more then livable wage. You suck as a human, you suck as an American, and you suck as an auto worker.
Took me a bit to understand how this translates to a fascination with WCA's testicles, until I realized WCA has a severe case of Walker penis envy. It does go a long way to explain why WCA is always the imbecile victim.
TNSEVOL, you want proof of how bad Bush was, just look at Roy Wilson, and geo, numbers. Conclusive proof as to how bad George W. Bush really was.
Wouldn't it be More Productive if Our Elected Leaders Started Working Together as AMERICANS for AMERICANS and AMERICA, instead of just bickering, stalling and posturing for the next election as democrats and republicans! The American People have had it with this unproductive BS! The way that both parties having been operating for years just stinks! Neither party has really been looking out for the best interests of the US Citizens who elect them and who they're supposed to represent.
Both parties have sold out the bulk of the American citizens, who they're supposed to represent, by allowing the "out-sourcing" floodgates to open wider and wider without taking any sensible measures to stem the tide.
It shouldn't be all about Democrats or Republicans! It should be about Americans, especially our elected officials, doing the right thing for our country and its citizens. All the single-minded, left versus right, ideological one dimensional bull has got to go!
Both parties need to start working together and actually start doing something to fix the real problems in our country like "out-sourcing", illegal immigration, the out of control costs of health care insurance and our reliance on foreign fuel. If they don't start working together and actually start making progress by the next election, then American citizens should run a nation-wide campaign to vote out all incumbents regardless of party to send the message.
The ONLY REAL FIX is to Raise Revenue, by Bringing Back Jobs to US Citizens who Pay Income Tax.
Massive cutting just puts more people on unemployment, which just depresses the economy even further.
Returning private sector jobs to American Citizens will provide income tax revenue to OUR Government versus our government having to pay unemployment benefits to those who would be jobless instead. We need our elected officials to Start Protecting American Jobs and do whatever it takes to bring back the jobs they let go. We need leaders who will actually stand up for the American people.
The bottom line is that “Our Government” has to protect domestic industry and the jobs that those industries provide. If they do that, the rest will take care of itself.
We may have to pay a bit more for products made here in the USA by US citizens, but at least we'll still have jobs and a future for our children.
And yes - I'm Angry - As are most American Citizens right now!
Ryan's budget is like an old leftover at the back of the fridge.
My God, don't the Bush family understand what they did to our Nation, we couldn't survive a Jeb !
@David Walker post #1.6 @9:15
Perfectly stated; sadly no matter how well presented and logical our comments are they are lost on the media misinformed.
The GOP strategy that works so well on those easily misled, is based upon feeding on deep-seated prejudice and fear. ("We got trouble right here in River City") It's blatantly reflected in most of these anti Obama posts. When blinded by emotion, all common sense thinking fails; it's all adrenaline based. But my favorite GOP strategy is accusing the opposition of precisely what the are responsible for and their having their loyal sheep agree. In psychological circles that's called projection.
We are a nation victimized by media advertising. The corporations (and the upper 1% who own them) use that marketing savvy very effectively through the media. And the media needs their funding to pay salaries. Every news broadcast is peppered with advertisers who are those corporations. The fact that Jeb Bush, Paul Ryan, Boehner, Gingrich, McCain and the rest are given a disproportionate amount of airtime for damage control should be a red flag. But as I said, we are putty in the sophisticated hands of corporate advertising. Its just a more modern (applied-behavioral-psychology based) version of "barkers" at circus sideshow attractions.
pull the tampon out. and stop with faux outraged based on nonexistant racism. you libtards need to come up with a new schtick. I do enjoy your little meltdown...its funny. maybe if you talk about penis envy you'll feel better LOL...
carry on little storm trooper
... and you Culus need to stop with the phoney outrage centered on non-existent commies and find a another dead horse. The 'greek fire' thing just sputters the same post day in day out. Any irony in your posts left the barn eons ago ... skeletons in the belly of a mythical horse.
Gee, I just read a post that says , "Less money for the middle class and more money for the rich is a republican plan." During the past 12 years, my income rose until 2009 and it's been stagnant since. In fact, my purchasing power has diminished over the past three years (2009 to 2012). Who's running the country during those years? A Democratic President.
Oh, I forget, it's Bush's fault. Never mind.
Texas is known for forcing changes to school textbooks that matches their version of history. Just wait a decade or two - GWB will be more of a hero than Jim Bowie or Davie Crockett.
Racism is you mantra, CA. It is a problem that is running rampant in the republican party and probably the biggest reason that you lose elections and have to cheat in order to win anything.
YES, it is. Republicans built an economy on LEVERAGE. De-leveraging has consequences AND it takes time to do. Thank the Republicans for this huge mess.
Well said Kemarman, the media is becoming more and more the tool of the far right wing of the republican party. The same ones whose seems to me as their objective is to inflict as much pain to the middle class while telling them how good they have it. Unless of course there is a democrat in the White House and then it is his fault for everything and policy they have written.
How could Ryan's budget possibly be considered serious when it ignores both logic and basic math?
Consider the Medicare voucher porposal, which Ryan claims will allow future seniors to purchase Medicare insurance at lower premiums. This claim defies simple logic.
Currently the cost of Medicare consists of two things: payments to providers, and administrative costs.
Medicare administrative costs are currently about half that of private insurance companies, so a change to a voucher system would result in higher administrative costs.
Medicare is widely accepted, and while most doctors accept Medicare they are less likely to accept all private Medicare alternative plans. At best payments will remain the same, at worst a private plan may have to offer higher reimbursement rates to entice doctors to accept their plans. A voucher system would result in either equal or higher costs relating to provider payments.
A voucher system would also introduce an entirely new tier of costs, as private insurance companies would have to add on a profit margin. This would result in increased costs.
Bottom-line basic Math - with higher administrative costs and profit margins, a voucher system does nothing to reduce the costs of healthcare and actually adds a new layer of unnecessary costs.
A voucher system is an illogical choice that would result in a transfer of higher costs to our future seniors, and transform Medicare from an equal benefits program to one with winners and losers.
C'mon, DCIA, it wasn't ALL the Republicans fault. There were Democrats that voted for both wars, which were very costly. If it was so bad, why didn't the de-fund them when they were in control of Congress (2006 through 2010)? To look at one party for the mess is very short sighted.
But saying your correct, how much time does it take to "de-leverage" the country. It's going on five years now.
prove it..oh you cant...how do you put it? SFTU...remember Jethro, life's hard, its even harder when you're stupid...It's a rocky road for Jethro....
Cheer up too ;o)
Red . .
I was wondering the same thing. David said WCA was nuts which led WCA to immediately start thinking about his nuts. Wow! Doesn't take much to make WCA change what little is going on in his mind . . . squirrel? And Feisty, I agree with your Exhibits A & B - nothing original for WCA.
Fortunately, because of the time change, I missed the Gregory Gush interview and Gab fest with Jeb on Meet The GOP. I gave gushing GOP Gregory a year of my time, but am now convinced Face the Nation is a far better balanced and fair reporting source over the new and improved Meet the GOP venue. I'll admit I'm surprised that NBC allowed a once great Sunday political show be reduced to Gregory GOP 24/7 Garbage Gaffe. It seems they wanted a rival to Faux News Nation and the only comparable to O'Reilly is Gotcha Gregory.
Layton - WCA and his trusty sidekick CA without a W do seem to enjoy their nuts socked away in the cheeks of squirrels. It goes a long way to explain why they are fascinated by all things related to tea bagging.
Yep, put Peppermint Patty (FAILED chairperson of the Budget Reduction Committee) in charge of the Progressive Budget.
Set up for another Progressive FAILURE.
On the budget / deficit issue the problem can, in many instances be boiled down to this:
If there is a law which sends money to a particular industry or group, THAT is spending, which is "BAD."
If there is a law which cuts the amount of money an industry or group sends to the government, or even allows the industry or group to claim as a credit, that is a cut to taxes, which is "GOOD."
The really sharp lobbyists have made their government spending into part of the tax code. The end result is the same, there is less money available to do other things.
Unfortunately, its easy to "cut spending" and nearly impossible to "raise taxes" even though the net result is exactly the same.
What is needed in Washington is people willing to look at the world with the clarity of reality, not through prism of politics.
Think about it -- They had a very short window where they had filibuster proof majority. Furthermore, the economy started to collapse in 07. The bills were piling up and less and less revenue was coming in on top of the extraordinary expenditures going out to try and prevent total meltdown. That's what happens when you build an economy based on leverage. The House of Cards falls down.
Wow, bush flipped back, who didn't see that coming. That whole family seriously just need to stay the hell out of the white house.
Translation from the person who riggged the FL election in 2000; I will say whatever necessary to try to dupe Hispanic voters!
Wow, just like what the democrat party does with every minority? It would be nice if BOTH parties would actually give a @!$%# about the minorities themselves instead of just catering and lying for votes.
The same ones whose seems to me as their objective is to inflict as much pain to the middle class while telling them how good they have it.
This is too good to pass up. So I think I'll take a page from the democrat play book and pull a quote out of the middle of a paragraph and put a spin on it so it's completely opposite of what the writer intended. See, in this quote, johntho is talking about the democrat party.
Bushes deficits didn't include the cost of two wars or the drug plan. Go figure.
Besides:
Republicans are as far from today's realities as the dead from the living. Wall street, big business, and especially those who support them are just as dead. Most democrats know it, but refuse to tell the American people. I believe, like Wall Street, too many democrats allow the republicans to spew their bullsh^t to better allow THEM to hold onto and squeeze the remaining guts out of the people who are victimized with this queer outsourced economy. Republican dogma has always generally been idiotic, but never more than today. The debt, military excursions, potential threats and domestic problems are either manufactured, or have the substance of straw. I sent 2 of my people to China last Dec. They returned last week. An engineer and an economist. Without sorted details, we are already in the process of removing ourselves from the place. US business can't continue supporting the Chinese government there, and creating jobs here. It was the gwaddamndest hair brained scheme we could have ever come up with in the beginning, yet many, including myself, indulged in the mess. Same with the European Union. We are the primary financiers of that ungodly mess of sovereign nations attempting to hold itself together with a common currency. Remedial action is obvious, but, like republicanism, the stronger countries have committed themselves to a course of economic stupidity. I'm not advocating isolationism, just responsible Capitalism. If American is the worlds consumer, and She certainly is, then Her people must be employed and earning wages sufficient to support such. Republicans can take their ridiculous claims and sell 'em to the operators of Hells junk yards, if they will buy 'em. Right now, all those sons-ah-bitches want is to get their hands on Medicare and Social Security. We all need to hear the correct remedial prescriptions from the mouths of the democrats, and we need to hear these soon.
The simple truth is that Obama has the country mired in the worst recovery in US history. So either Obama isn't as smart as liberals believe him to be, or he is simply not that capable. But then again liberal arguments for or against anything Obama has done comes from convenience. All spending was Bush's fault, and now everything is the House Republicans fault. Funny how this liberal revered Obama is unable to get anything done because of those mean old Republicans. ObamaCare was rammed through using procedural maneuvers, and we had to pass it before we could find out what was in it. In fact they are still writing it, and the day is coming when people will wonder how it ever passed. Democrats have controlled the House for 46 of the past 60 years and 40 of the past 60 in the Senate. It has been over 40 years since a Democrat controlled Congress put forth a balanced federal budget. Obama and the Democrats offer two solutions for Washington, higher taxes and more spending. History is going to treat Obama very harshly, and it will be well deserved.
Johntho - Democrats in Chicago are CLOSING 85 schools, of which 88% of the students are black. You know, the color of our President. Are they RACIST?
Rick - No need to read further than your first sentence. It's OBVIOUS you have ZERO understanding of the depth of this crisis.
Here's an excellent article linked below. Perhaps after reading you'll begin to comprehend the complexities. Oh, the web they weave!
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-03-10/to-understand-finance-embrace-complexity.html
Mac -- Nice post!
Yes, DCIA, that is true, but if the Democrats were serious about cutting the deficit and beginning the "de-leveraging" the country, it should have begun back in 2006. Don't you agree? As I said, it takes two to tango on this issue and to keep blaming one party or the other, is very short-sighted.
I mean, I don't blame Clinton for the drop in the Economy back in 2000 with the bursting of the dot.com bubble. And while the demise of the economy wasn't as bad back then as it is now, there wasn't a lot of blame game going on back then but rather, working to fix it. Which meant that President Bush worked with the Democrats, as much as I'm sure it pained him. Which is why I keep saying President Obama hasn't reached out and I mean, really reached out to the other party, at least until now and I am hopeful this will work. And if it does, will I blame President Obama for waiting this long to reach out to Republicans? No, I will thank him for bring a both parties together.
Contrary to many other poster's beliefs, I don't want our President to fail, even though I disagree with many his policies, I want him to succeed. Why? Because if he does, then American succeeds.
David Walker
Hey sissy boy, you forgot to answer my question yesterday. Or were you just too frightened to admit that you're a hypocrite?
David Walker
LMAO...
Geo, dont stoop to Jethro's stupidity...he'll beat you with experience..but do feel free to point and laugh
Now, if Geo could just provide a link to a valid source to support his ludicrous claim. I wouldn't hold your breath - this box of rocks intelligentsia has yet to ever provide a source to back his outlandish and mornic claims.
My, a large number of libbie guys and gals seem to be obsessed with "bush" today. With the exception of David, who sounds as if he likes "balls".
F you ceasar disgustus. Prove it, you prove it every single day. Republicans didn't like that a black man was running and they like it less that he won, and then he won again, they claimed, yeah you guessed it. Racism. Reversed of course. Completely disregarding the personal responsibility of nominating weak candidates whose republican idea of trickle down economics has died and been cremated. We have a decade of republicans cheating to hold the house. However state wide elections will turn the tide as more and more republican governors bite the dust because of their failures. Yeah WCA, Snyder will be one of the first out of here.
Well, there is the resident self-appointed funny girl, obsessed with her bush innuendo. Tell us, how is that Krugman bankruptcy you endlessly posted on going? Was his $70k Alexander Amosu suit repossessed? Come on funnygirl, surely you have the inside scoop. Did you get that info from your Friends of Hamas?
funnygirl2 . . .
Time to crawl back under your rock, little one. The Bush comments have been driven by Jeb's flipping around all of the talk shows this weekend and if you read, the only person obsessed with nuts and balls is little WCA. Reading comprehension is so not your cup of tea.
Think again -- It's good to hear you are not rooting for failure. The dot com bubble pales in comparison with what happened to cause the Great Recession. The recklessness of a few created a tsunami that hit every shore around the globe. We are all still feeling the impact and cleaning up. That should be done without causing additional harm. From my perspective the prescriptions the Republicans are putting forward will do more damage. If they want a seat at the table they have to put down ideas that don't harm the fragile economy. So far they've failed to do that.
culheath "Bushes deficits didn't include the cost of two wars or the drug plan. Go figure. Besides:Deficits don't matter. - Dick Cheney"
Totally FALSE. ALL costs, including the wars and the drug plan ARE included in Bush's Deficits. While Presidents and Congresses sometimes play 'Budget Games', the government doesn't allow the President to hide any final spending. ALL spending has to be included in the final accounting reported by the government.
Besides - When the Deficits averaged only 2.06% of GDP, as they did under Bush, they 'mattered' far less than when they got up to 10% of GDP, as they have under Obama.
Johntho
More and more???? What sort of rock do you live under?? They've made gains in most of the recent elections and the number of republican Governors is at the highest level since the 1920's.
Johntho
waahhh... didnt think so...use that summer's eve...and cheer up dum dum
we are laughing at you
Backcountry164, the guy who blames other people for not fixing his mistakes, writes:
Folks, by way of background, this is what Backcountry wrote March 9, Saturday:
Backcountry's words are in bold. So here's how things work in Backcountry's world. You are supposed to read his mind for what he really means. I tried to read his mind and all I got was a blank.
Backcountry, there's no need for you to ask that question, and there's certainly no need for me to answer it, whatever it was. You have no idea what you mean, and I don't have time to tell you what you mean.
to jonthro - your first post states that Bush had a Republican congress for 8 years - READ A BOOK!!!! Nancy and Harry took over congress in 2007 (after the 06 midterms) AND THEN THE ECONOMY CRASHED.
The rest of your racist rants mean nothing. You should read more, learn something - then maybe you would know better
DICA - you have to tread ever so quietly around the likes of the one that pretends to think again. They have completely forgotten is was one GW Bush and his GOP congress that spent billions on a stimulus plan in 2002 that was for a minor recession.
David Walker stated in post 1.40 above: "Conservatives" passed the budget. President Bush signed it. That's pure, unadulterated fact. You are just plain nuts."
FYI, David Walker, the President DOES NOT SIGN the budget since it is not a law.
That's why Republicans lost the election just months ago. Real losers too. You would think they would be smart enough to admit it and move on, but they won't. They have called it a messaging problem and doubled-down on the same ideas.
Remember how easily Republicans could have won the election and been running the government right now? An incumbent had not been re-elected with an unemployment rate that high since Eisenhower. Republicans were boasting about how bad things were, even when things were getting better. The stimulus was berated for years, the debt was now something that had to be dealt with, a new Republican House was elected in 2010. Republicans had it in the bag, and they could taste victory....but then......the Primaries, the Candidates, the awful ideas, the terrible policies.....all came back into focus. A election that will live in history....an election that showed us what Republican Conservatives are really like....even the commercials couldn't cover up those ideas....Romney/Ryan/Republican Conservatives, the biggest losers in a century of politics.
RedDev,
Better yet, Briebart.com! lol
These dumbfux couldn't recognize satire if it slapped them across the face!
And geo, you would keep them open? How stupid of you. Under populated schools are not efficent. Of course you have numbers for that right? Fake.
NJSteve, learn to read, then come back and apologize. Stupid.
So David Poseur, you gonna continue to punt everytime you get called? yep thought so...dismiss anyone that punks you as insignificant...total pompous tool bag you are....you do enjoy licking your own ass..because you can
Johntho
Seeking are you posting under a different moniker now?
Just like Nancy Pelosi said again this past weekend, tax cuts are spending. Pelosi says they are called tax expenditures. Get that, liberals believe that if the government cuts taxes they are spending money on you. What Pelosi is really saying is that liberals believe all money belongs to the federal government, and they, meaning Congress will then decide how much of the governments money you should be allowed to have. So tax cuts are not allowing people to keep more of their own money, it is our federal government spending their money on us. Is there ever going to be hope for Washington to gain fiscal sanity with liberals like Pelosi as a leader of her party? No wonder Democrats always block balance budget amendments or don't even feel the need to pass a budget. After all it is all just the federal governments money, so keep watch on those IRA's and 401K's, because you know with thinking like Pelosi espouses, the Democrats and Obama may someday be targeting them.
2010 back@!$%#, that was then, and this is now. If the house wasn't so gerrymandered 2012 would have been a national landslide. Rights lost state wide elections in 2012, the only thing they could hang onto was the house, and you know that.
Caesar disgustus, sucks to be you.
Red -- Posting this as a reminder to the Right. Thanks for bringing that up. Here's Paul Ryan back then:
yeah as you have a hissy fit and temper tantrum...im laughing at you Jethro/Seeking.
HAHAHAHAHHAHA
Obama said, back in 2008 that you cannot get what you want by shouting at or arguing with, the Republicans.
Yet, here he is, shouting at, and arguing with the Republicans.
He also said he would maintain our military as "the strongest on the planet."
But, here he is cutting the military budget, cutting the number of new officers who commission, shutting down bases, grounding aircraft carriers, and decreasing the manpower of each branch of the military.
Liar, liar, pants on fire.
But, it doesn't seem to matter because the mainstream media gives him a pass on EVERYTHING he says, and does. No matter how dead-assed wrong, or how much of a LIE it is.
Stop -- Well said. Let's hope one day they quit thinking of this as a game of charades. Not only are they lousy at that game, they're proving they don't deserve a seat at the table where the grown-ups sit.
But is this a serious budget? Or is it simply a political document?
It's a political document - period!
Budgets don't matter. As our Republican friends have pointed out, we have not had a budget passed by both the House and the Senate for years.
What does matter is the two parts of the fiscal operations of the US Government, appropriations and taxes. The Republican party has already stated that they will not touch taxes (except to lower them for their wealthy friends) and the only thing open is cutting spending and increasing defense spending.
The "budget" being passed by the House Republicans is a joke. It calls for repeal of Obamacare (for the 31st or 32nd time) cutting Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security. At the same time, it counts the saving of $716 billion from Obamacare as part of its deficit reduction.
Running a government without a budget is like running a business without a business plan. You can do it. Its messy, people don't really know what priorities you have and there is less control of what you do spend money, but it can be done.
It would be better if Paul Ryan left the Tea Party and joined the leadership of the GOP in actually governing. However, since the Republican leadership ceded control of the party to the Tea Party in 2009, it will be very difficult to rest it back. Like a mongrel dog given a favorite blanket to sleep on, now that it has it, it will fight to keep it; even if it is flea infested, torn up, and covered in mud.
Deficit obsession is preventing economic recovery and is completely unwarranted at this point in time.
Read this:
At first it was pure entertainment while it stumbled and staggered around looking drunk... But now it's gotten to the point where its been laying on its side in the throes of death for months longer than should be tolerated by the sentient beings that understand it... Perhaps we should just end it mercifully with a quick kill shot and harvest the tusks before the tea party does...
WIll this be the 36th go at repealing something that helps "common" people or are we going to stop counting?
ZMan2012
I'll play along.
Who has a stronger military than us? How is their military stronger than ours? How much do they spend per year? How much do we spend per year?
sfcret:
Pretty sure you want to look that up. The budget is basically a collection of appropriations bills. You are attempting to create a distinction without a difference.
David, Bev, Feisty, Johntho and the rest of by liberal friends - great posts this morning. Thisis a crazy week for me so I'll be on FR very little but you guys are clearly in control.
geo - your concern about the Chicago schools is so fake it is unbelievable - but then, most of what you post is unbelievable. Just an example of one of the schools they are closing - it is supposed to handle 4600 students. Currently there are 46 attending school there. However, your suggestion is to keep the school open? Wow! Why doesn't THAT surprise me. Perhaps you should only discuss topics you actually understand? Oh, wait, that means you couldn't discuss anything! My bad!
David Walker
Try this link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_budget_process
BTW, the appropriations bills are usually passed after the Congressional Budget is approved. The appropriations bills are LAWS, after the President signs them. The Budget is not a LAW and does not require the President's signature.
There is a lot more that goes into "continuing resolutions", and appropriations bills in lieu of a Congressional Budget.
David Walker
Coward. You called me a sissy the other day because you assumed I wouldn't come back and respond to your asinine post. But I did didn't I? And now here you are dodging and deflecting while you make pathetic excuses to avoid my simple question. Do you support the President using drones to assassinate people you claim are NOT enemy combatants. So by your own definition you are a "sissy". By my definition you are pathetic but I am not surprised in the least. People who make ridiculous excuses usually do get tripped up by them.
It's the same low brow fiction whether you watch the CPAC presentation on Comedy Central or Focked News. As for the history books treating "W" with kindness, Jeb is probably right - they'll likely refrain from calling him a criminally incompetent, lying, buffoon outright.
RedDevBS - Sundays Chicago Tribune Along with 687 MILLION in education cuts. I think my numbers are a little better than Arne Duncans, or Maxine Waters 170 MILLION job cuts . Ass Lick!
Seeking Insanity - The reason there are less students is the Democratic Policies of no jobs, high crime and business killing higher taxes continue to riddle the area. This is Obama's blue print for America, after all, Chicago is where he learned his politics just like the liar Arne Duncan.
It really doesn't matter what budget bills get submitted or even passed by the House, Harry Reid and his D-Bag brethren in the Senate haven't passed a budget in over 3 years - why would they bother this year.
Just curious if anyone thinks Obama's budget proposal will break tradition and get a least 1 vote this year.
Sorry Geo - not finding any articles in the Chicago Trib referencing 85 school closures of 687m in cuts. Must be a mythical article and a mythical claim.
Backcountry164:
I told you point blank, you could go back and read my posts and find the answer. Your question has no basis in reality. You asked:
That is an embarrassingly simplistic question that fails to deal with any number of variables. Each and every drone strike must be evaluated individually. That said, I support the use of drone strikes in limited circumstances.
To pre-empt your inevitable attempt at rebuttal, I will again repeat - the targets are terrorists. As I wrote earlier, we are not a nation at war, and thus there are no enemy combatants.
Don't you people ever get tired of having your asses handed to you?
sfcret:
Like I said - A distinction without a difference.
SeekingSanity, we will miss you. Who is going to verbally attack the conservatives and call them all stupid liars?
David Walker
Since you didn't read the link or didn't understand it, I will provide you this small part of it: A budget resolution is a concurrent resolution that binds Congress, but is not a law, and so does not require the President's signature.
BTW, there is a big difference between a Budget and Appropriations Bills.
Speeking Insanity, we will miss you ... about as much as we will miss a boil on one's butt ! Lord knows, her flaming personal attacks PROVE she is a self-proclaimed "PROGRESSIVE" ... they all get totally pissed-off toward anyone and everyone not following their extremist lefty ideology !!!
Our leaders really are a bunch of idiotic babies!
What's all this my team versus your team idiotic nonsense?
For God's sake you're all Americans!
@ Rick-3416939,
There you go lying, again. You said it had been 40 years since a Democratic House submitted a Balanced Budget. A final analysis of any balanced House Budget only becomes confirmed after a sitting Presidential signature on the Bill with post analysis of balance after it's implementation. Not before it's implementation. Your assertion is the contrary of what actually occurred.
Case and point;
Bill Clinton issued line item veto of Newt Gingrich's Balanced Budget Act (HR 2014) on 8-11-97 of provisions 15-34 (unfunded Coporate tax cuts). In FY 2000, our Federal deficit was at a surplus of + $175 billion.
George Bush implemented unfunded Coporate tax cuts (2001-2003) with two unfunded wars after a HR 2014 Balanced Budget with resultant surplus and presided over a Federal deficit of $1.4 trillion in FY 2009 leaving the White House.
I really don't think you know what you're talking about. Funny thing is.....I don't have to prove it. History already has...............case closed.
A boil on ones butt, like you and people like you are a scab on America's butt. Guess what geo, if you wasn't so dishonest about your rants perhaps you wouldn't piss anyone off, but you lie to do that exact thing. So, the answer for you is to end it. It is your extremist far right fascist lies that pisses folks off.
First of all, Pelosi wasn't talking about reductions in marginal rates; she was referring to tax expenditures like the mortgage interest deduction, which are (in the eyes of modern economists) essentially subsidies in the tax code. Secondly, I don't think she meant to imply that all money earned in the United States is the property of the federal government; I think you're oversimplifying what she said. However, I would like to point out a rather "socialist" belief that I have come to espouse; a great man once promoted the idea that all of the natural resources in a given nation are the property of the people. That man was (surprise, surprise) Thomas Jefferson, the so-called "limited government" Democratic-Republican president and author of the Declaration of Independence. Thirdly, most tax cuts are not designed to, as you put it, "give money back to the people," but instead to "goose up the economy" and gain political support. Besides, balanced budget amendments would require tax increases in order to balance the budget, quite simply because even with reforming entitlements, you would have ax popular spending programs like unemployment insurance and research and development in order to get even close to balance. You'd destroy the economy in the process, and put millions of people out of work. The entire idea that tax cuts are simply giving money back to taxpayers is misguided; taxes are the price we as Americans should pay for all the benefits that we get in America, whether it be a good education system, a free society, or the democratic process. Things like that don't come cheap; that's why we the people have to do our part to maintain society. I could care less if the government is taking away your money; you wouldn't have made that money if you didn't have the opportunities that our society gave you, which includes services offered by the government. Wanting a tax cut is simply selfish; you are denying you and your neighbors and children prosperity by skimping on your debt to society just so that you can splurge on yourself.
I would take the idea that Thomas Jefferson supported one step further and argue that all of the natural resources that reside on U.S. soil are the sole property of the United States government. Now, that may sound socialist and un-American, but in actuality, it is nothing of the sort. Conservative agitators and idiots like yourself have argued for decades that the government is a separate entity that has relatively no ties to the American people. Essentially, the government is an authoritative figure, not a conglomeration of the collective population. You are wrong; the iconic words "We the People" are the first words in the Constitution of the United States, the very constitution that serves as the basis for our federal government. It declares that we the people have formed the federal government, and thus we ARE the government. We govern ourselves via our democratic process and our elected representatives. All resources and income earned in the United States of America is the property of the government, because that government consists of the American people. We are not a society where our chief motto is "Every man for himself"; we care for our own.
David Walker
If they are not enemy combatants then killing them outright is assassination. None of your lame excuses refute this FACT. Only a hypocrite would argue that someone who deserves to be given a trial in a civilian court could also be targeted for assassination by a military strike. Do these people have rights given to non-combatants or not?? Only a fool would believe that you can have it both ways and only a puppet would make excuses to justify the obvious double standard.
Well I don't get tired of fools deluding themselves, I actually enjoy posts like yours. They make me laugh.
I heard a great description tonight by Krugman about Paul Ryan - may not be exact but is very close:
I think the fact that because Ryan throws numbers out there, even if they are crazy and impossible and the polar opposite of what he said a year ago, Republicans of the Tea Bagger persuasion, think he is smart.
The "Battle" is mainly for show.
Obama wants to cut the budget (including SS, Medicare, etc) as much as the Republicans it's just that he's pushing for doing it in a way that looks like he doesn't so the Democrat's base won't notice that he has sold them out...again.
Here's more about it:
The Sequestration Tango: Obama and GOP Dance Through the Graveyard of the New Deal
Wed, 03/06/2013 - 00:35 — Glen Ford
The Obama regime has been remarkably successful – in pushing forward a Republican agenda. Obama, especially, has "moved with such elegance and poise, his fans forgot that he was dancing with a partner: the GOP." Together, they have starved the federal beast and forged a consensus on the inevitability of austerity. Let the gruesome-twosome take a bow.
Barack Obama's mission has always been to destroy the left wing of the Democrats in order to consummate a grand bargain – a melding – of the corporatists in both major parties. He entered national politics as a newly-minted member of the Democratic Leadership Council, which dispensed corporate campaign money to business-friendly candidates and incumbents. Ten years later, President Obama has succeeded beyond our worst fears. Black politics is in utter ruin, and the collapse of the Democratic Party's left wing is all but complete. Austerity is the order of the day, and no one is more responsible for that catastrophe than Obama, who has waged war on so-called entitlement programs since the polls closed in 2008.
He packed his presidential team with the same gang of finance capitalists that Bill Clinton had allied with to consummate his Grand Bargain of 1999: the deregulation of the banks. Obama assumed the presidency with the economy in ashes as a result of what Clinton had wrought a decade before. Immediately, Obama turned the music back up, and the Corporate Tango began anew, full of choreographed emotion, stage-managed drama and canned passion. But the dancers – Obama and the Republicans – were all going in the same, preprogrammed direction: a backwards, counter-clockwise promenade to the Right, a dance through the cemetery of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal.
"Obama was playing the old Republican game of 'starve the beast.'"
Obama moved with such elegance and poise, his fans forgot that he was dancing with a partner: the GOP. In 2011, following Obama's lead, the loving couple initiated their sequestration, a timed sequence of moves that would ultimately force the gutting of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, along with a whole host of discretionary social programs.
As is required when doing the Corporate Tango, Obama lied through his teeth, swearing during his third presidential debate that he never proposed sequestration. But Gene Sperling, the White House National Economic Council director, was so proud of the sequestration gambit, he confessed that it was all part of the grand plan to put entitlements on the block. Obama claimed he'd been looking out for the government's tax revenues. But the liberal economist Jeffrey Sachs put together a chart that showed Obama was playing the old Republican game of "starve the beast"; that he had undermined the government's ability to pay for itself by supporting the vast bulk of President Bush's tax cuts; and that the resultsmatched Obama's 2009 projections for government spending over the next four years, almost exactly. Obama's train was running right on time.
Polls show that the Republicans are getting the blame for sequestration, but the stock market is hitting new heights now that austerity has triumphed, and that's all that really matters to the moneyed classes, whether they are wearing Republican red or Democratic blue. They have won – at least until the next economic collapse, or until a new opposition to the rule of capital can be constructed. That will not happen anywhere near the event horizon of the Democratic Party, which has followed Barack Obama into the black hole of Wall Street. Once you go Goldman Sachs, you never go back.
http://blackagendareport.com/content/sequestration-tango-obama-and-gop-dance-through-graveyard-new-deal
kimH-1330542
Ironically the same thing can be said about Krugman.
Backcountry - I disagree but I usually disagree with most of what you say.
m
Good morning, Backhouse
Jeb Bush tries to sneak into 2016 Presidential talk...
.
Jebberish
History may or may not be kind to W, only time will tell.
However, WHERE on this website is mention of a budget or ceiling for the FLOTUS and the booking of Adele and Beyoncé booked for her upcoming 50th birthday bash?
Gauche excess.
Adele and Beyonce will come for free to Michele's bash. What a minor point to fight about.
George Bush was the worst President ever.
It's no "fight," calm down. And, no, they are not performing for free. (Adele has waived her "usual fee" for a private performance, not complete.) It would be gauche even if the two performers were singing for free.
And who the "worst president ever" was depends on an individual's perspective.
I see it's "gauche" no matter what happens. Typical Republican.
"worst president ever" is a matter of public opinion, not perspective.
tempusfugit1 . . regarding the First Lady ... you're posting something from an unnamed and potentially questionable source as fact for your bitch and whine of the morning? Good grief!
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/10/adele-and-beyonce-for-michelle-obama-first-lady-birthday_n_2847770.html?utm_hp_ref=entertainment
Do you READ articles or just skim headlines to get your points of the day?
Can I see Jeb's Birth Certificate !!!
Retract, retract, retract. Delete, delete, delete.
Neither will be singing.
Appears to have been a vicious rumor.
http://news.yahoo.com/beyonce-adele-not-set-sing-mrs-obamas-birthday-135149551.html
Eric-913730
No it's a matter of history, public opinion changes from one day to the next. As bad as GWB was, anyone who thinks he's the worst in history knows very little about history. Only time will determine where the latest two Presidents appear on the list but one thing I am certain of, they won't be far apart and I wouldn't bet one dime on which one tops the other.
Rep. Louie Gohmert recently introduced legislation that essentially would stop the president from going golfing unless the White House reinstates the public tours it canceled as a result of the sequester. "None of the funds made available by a division of this Act may be used to transport the president to or from a golf course until public tours of the White House resume"
Louie Gohmert missed his calling, he should have been an elephant diaper.
Rand Paul’s filibuster (3/7) is ninth-longest in recorded history a star
is born … inside the GOP
Using the word Rand:
He Rand for office and lost.
He Rand down the street and tripped.
He Rand the water in tub and made it overflow.
Well, at least Rand Paul got an answer to his question, "Will the government use Predator drones to take out American citizens on American soil?" Final our Attorney General clarified his response to this question by saying, "No!" in essence. That was troubling to me that our government felt it was justifiable. With our Law Enforcement resources, which are better than most countries, the use of Predator drones for attacking even a terrorist, on American soil is just wrong.
It was a nonsensical questions. Of course the answer is "no".
What Rand did was a total waste of time.
It's your opinion, but the question was asked and should have been clarified long before Rand Paul began his filibuster. And not it wasn't nonsensical. I didn't want drones firing on our soil. Do you?
If a drone is used to take out terrorists on our soil, so be it. Who cares. The things are flying around all over the place now.
Why is it you never really think about anything you write? You appear to repeat without thinking.
Anyone with common sense knew the answer was no, never was going to happen, no drone strikes on American soil.
Rand Paul is an idiot about everything else, why would I expect common sense now?
Once the new republicans austerity hits and the public become more aware of what republican policies are doing to our country, Rand won't be able to be elected dog-catcher.
The republicans have been doing nothing but standing in the way of the recovery and want you to blame President Obama for the republicans being traitors to our economy and our country.
"The republicans have been doing nothing but standing in the way of the recovery and want you to blame President Obama for the republicans being traitors to our economy and our country."
Truer words have never been said America First!! Bravo! So clear and concise that real Americans might expect even a 'Merkin to understand...
Eric-913730
Seems the whole thing would have been avoided then if Holder would have simply said so. So is refusing to answer or sidestepping such a question any less "nonsensical"? This entire administration is in perpetual cover-up mode. They stumble over even simple questions for fear of accidentally letting out some tidbit of info they want to keep under wraps. Least transparent administration in modern history.
Ryan is wasting time with a DOA budget that tries to re-fight battles that he LOST. What an idiot.
Trying to restoke the fires of his lost campaign.
I don't know. Rand Paul, who I was never a big fan, made sense when he received a bill in the Senate and was being asked to vote on it the very next day. The bill was over 600 pages long. Rand Paul pointed out according to Senate Rules, EVERY Senator MUST read each bill they vote on. Rand Paul pointed out that no one he talked with had time to read the bill and that there were changes being made as he spoke. I don't think it's too much to ask that each of our elected lawmakers to READ the bills they are voting.
Am I wrong?
Senators have aides that read the bills for them.....moot point.
Uh, the Senate rules require the Senators to read them. Not their aides. Change the rules or follow them. I believe its far from a moot point. And to be totally honest, I would want any politician to read everything he or she votes on, rather than get a "Readers Digest" version from an aide. I didn't vote for the aide, I voted for the Politician.
"Senators have aides that read the bills for them" Eric so why did we hire the Senators? So Obama would have someone to play Golf with!
CEO of major corporations have employees that read things for them and give a synopsis. Senators have a lot to do. You two guys try running for the Senate then.
When did they ever leave? I swear, if you study the news media objectively, you'd find Republican guests on Sunday shows out number Democratic ones 2:1. Republican pundits dominate the airwaves. Democrats won the presidential election, but the media is more interested in appeasing the hedge fund class. We have a brilliant President. accomplished diplomats in Bill and Hillary Clinton, and history on our side (hello? the invasion of Iraq was a fiasco,) but the media promotes the view that all that matters is CPAC, or how happy/unhappy House Republicans are with Obama's "charm offensive." What are the other 99% of Americans. chopped liver? I'm not happy with D.C. except for the President's actions, that should be the story.
Amy B. Portland......I am glad you are so happy with President Obama. Apparently, you don't have cable TV up in Portland, ME. 90% of cable media has Democratic pundits on. You only have to watch Alex Wagner, Ed Shutltz, Chris Matthews, Rachel Maddow, and Martin Bashir to see how one sided the commentary is against Republicans. As far as your love affair with the Presdient, you must have low standards if you feel someone who has increased the national debt by $6 trillion in four years, has put a record number of people on food stamps, and slowed our economy to a snails pace has done a good job.
Amy, quit reading the Huffington Post, DailyKos, and MSDNC.
The President is ANYTHING but brilliant. He just gives a good speech and thinks "leadership" is doing nothing but denigrating and demonizing those that don't agree with them instead of actually NEGOTIATING. Bill is a convicted purger, and low life adulterer, but the hero of Democrats. Hillary is a "vast right wing conspiracy", CYA political hack that actually said "What difference does it make" when American DIED in Benghazi.
Oh by the way, the ONLY reason that "Iraq was a fiasco" was because Bill had cut the military so much that instead of DIVISIONS invading Iraq it was Regiments and Brigades, not even counting the cuts in training that our troops had to endure under Clinton.
And why don't you take your "99%" crap and place in an unsunny location? Just in case you hadn't noticed, EVERY Democrat in Washington is part of the "1%" you hate so much. Do you think that they are going to give up ANYTHING of theirs for you Amy? Go look at the FACTS. While Romney was giving up 20% and more of what he earned to charities, people like Biden, Pelosi, Reid, Kerry, and Clinton were actually "giving" 5%, 3%, or even less than 1% to the poor and needy of this country.
The President's "actions" have been to spend $180,000 AN HOUR using Air Force One flying around the country getting applause and attacking anyone and anything conservative. The President's "actions" were to as usual for him, LIE, LIE,and LIE and predict all but CHAOS when the sequestration that HIS White House wrote, pushed, and he signed into law was coming close.
But of course, that's the kind of action you like, right Amy. Dishonesty, corruption, and out and out lies from your President.
Cheryl, dear, I do worry about you. So much anger and bitterness, so much ignorance and paranoia.
Do ALL Presidents use Air Force One? Did Bush fly about on it and use it to hide from the WTC bombings, being the confirmed coward that he is? Were you bothered when that happened? Or is it just this BLACK DEMOCRATIC President that is not entitled to the security requirements of the office that he holds?
Now. Let's get to facts: Would you please list the "corruption" you accuse this President of using responsible sources?
Or is being challenged on fact just a little too real for that black world you inhabit.
Get help.
Some on the right don't know how to surf the channels and with the press of a little button they can change the channel.
Amy, we have here some who believe that all is well in Tea Party Land and all in the world of the left is wrong. Everything is all lollipops and roses when it involves only things the right do, delusion is the common illness there and it appears is incurable.
You mean like W. Bush and the Dick Cheney.
Amy, cheers for that.
Americans deserve an unbiased media and they deserve the truth, the facts regardless of which side is factless. Americans deserve to know the dysfunction of Congress whether it is the outrageous numbers of GOP filibusters that has Congress in total gridlock and is contrary to the Constitution or the truth about the useless Speaker of the House John Boehner who seems incapable of grasping that he is Speaker of ALL the House, not just his raucus caucus.
The media ignores that President Obama reached out to republicans time and time again during his first four years and now the media speaks as if last week's "charm offensive" efforts were the first attempts. As for the Sunday talk shows, I used to be a regular viewer of them but now find them to be of little, if any, value since fair and balanced is anything but. I'm tired of seeing John McCain as the weekly Sunday brunch entree, tired of media hosts who pretty much allow the factless talking points to stand as fact.
Come on, media, step up to the plate, We the People desparately need the facts not the talking points.
Chris Rhodes,
My nieces and nephews are only now getting their feet under them, having graduated from college at the worst possible time, career-wise. I have relatives who were out of work for months, relatives on food stamps, friends who went on disability in order to survive, etc. President Obama's leadership was a bright spot in my life during the recession. He fought to help people like me and mine, unlike the Republicans, who are now trying to insure hedge fund managers keep their low tax rates, at the expense of the country as a whole. What world do you live in?
Chris - Rhodes (?) Scholar - and wot - ur cable company doesn't carry FOX *FAUX* News with its "FAIR and Balanced" reporting 24/7.......Talk about one sided commentary biased against Democrats and Pres. Obama....
CherylLM
Could you please list the reliable sources from where you get your facts?
Could you please not use so many yelling capital letters as I read in braille and it hurts my fingertips.
ndd -- the race card -- again?? give it a break. people can disagree with obama and not be racist.
identity politics will eventually be the downfall of the democrats as we know them today. just look at how they threw hillary under the bus in '08 in favor of a far less experienced and talented man. the democrats were just not ready to have a female as their candidate for president and had to settle for the next best given that edwards was beginning to be shown as the scumbag he was proven to be.
We're getting off cheap. Bush spent $10M per day ramming his so called conservative values down our throats only to leave us broke, at faux wars, and a global economy in ruins.
Amy---also troubling is the false equivalency we see from the media. It happens here at FR at least once a week.
CherylLM
And the lack of WMD isnt the biggest fiasco?? Wow you are one delusional nut job
billybob: Can people disagree with this President and not be racist? Of course.
Can they make wild accusations, act like he is not entitled to the normal protections of the Presidency, question his citizenship, call the FLOTUS "moochelle", accuse the FLOTUS of wasting money by using the calligraphers that have been a part of that office for generations from the Office of Protocol and not be considered racist?
As to "throwing Hillary under the bus"...that is patently absurd. She ran through the primary season, ignored the Caucus system and lost. People voted for the President.
That's the way it works, billybob.
Not by any RATIONAL American.
billybob-6210632
But you can't; billybob!
Edit, would someone please feed the FR gremlins?
..a part of that Office of Protocol and not be considered racist? Not by any rational American.
race always gets the left fired up -- i imagine most folks posting here think of obama as the first black president but i do not. i think of him as the 44th president. race plays no part in this.
bev -- please put the race card away, it has lost its impact since it is used so frequently.
ndd -- i do not believe anything said about the obamas is any more extreme that has been said about most of their predecessors. not sure how the use of a calligrapher is racist, having multiple at a time of sever economic constraints is a bit unnecessary in my opinion.
hillary was the darling until barry started talking. everyone on the democrat side fell head over heels for this smooth talker as these examples show.
Biden -- "I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy," Biden said. "I mean, that's a storybook, man."
reid -- Harry Reid, the Democrat Senate Majority Leader and the national government's highest-ranking Mormon, has admitted now remarking apparently with some amazement on the nation's highest-ranking black Democrat as being notably "light-skinned" and having "no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one."
Cheryl LM blames President Bill Clinton for military cuts because the Cold War had ended and that is why the Iraq war failed? Jaysus, lady, try some truth serum to counter that paranoid need to blame anyone but Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Rice, their pals for the disaster that was Iraq. Iraq cost us $3 trillion in BORROWED treasure and that doesn't include medical costs, not to mention the multiple deployments to a war that went on for close to 10 years--that alone qualifies as a "fiasco".
I watched the a program last night about the contents of Osama Bin Laden's files. It pointed out an interesting fact. Osama Bin Laden wanted to assassinate President Barrack Obama because he felt the country would be in a big mess with Joe Biden as President. Even the most wanted terrorist though Joe Biden was incapable of running our country.
Simple, billybob: you made a statement about Mrs. Obama that is not true. She IS NOT the only FLOTUS who has used Calligraphers, and you made that statement in such a way to imply that Mrs. Obama considers herself royalty.
I asked you a question and you never answered. How should invitations to Heads of State go out? Email invite, Facebook, fill in the blank from Walmart?
We have been in tough times before. No one suggested that this Office be abolished.
You owe the FLOTUS an apology, and I do consider it racist, since we simply did not hear this about Mrs. Bush, whose husband is directly responsible for the tough times we are in.
You really don't believe that anything extreme has been said about this President? Really? That is a lack of intellectual honesty that is blinding.
Pay NO attention to Cheryl!
Poor dear is nuttier then squirrel *poop*!
Well, opinions are like A$$holes, everyone has one. Some are just nuttier than others. Ain't that right Feisty.
No kidding, Feisty!
Feisty . .
As evidenced by her not coming back and addressing the questions posed to her "rant." Good job above all in calling her out. I see that screeming lib picked up what popped out at me . .
We've the largest military in the world and always have had but she's blaming the Iraq mess on Clinton's BUDGET cuts not Bush's strategies? That's a reach and a half! This one needs to stay under her rock!
There is never, I repeat never anything racist or negative written or spoken by anyone who supports the Democrip Party.
That would never happen in the 21st. century
According to modern research, that would leave three fingers pointing back at you Zappas. Six if you were using both hands.
@ chicks bound
Can you point to one post where I've made any racist post?
I wouldn't waste time trying to undo Obamacare. Once people find out that Obamacare doesn't bend the cost curve down as promised, then the American people will find out that they have been duped by yet another socialistic utopian POS legislation. In reality, I bet Obama will ultimately cave to what was the Romney/Ryan plan to begin with; lower rates and reform the tax code. That combine with cuts in Medicare will get us back on the path to fiscal sanity. Long term, Congress should do simething about the corporate income tax rate which is the highest among civilized countries in the world. No wonder corporations have money parked overseas (including NBCs parent company). Give them all a tax holiday to bring that money back to be invested in the USA.
I agree with you Chris. They need to give up on Obamacare. They lost and we lost.
I saw the headline over the weekend that Ryan's budget wants to repeal Obamacare and was disappointed. What's the use?
Time will prove that it is a disaster.
Chris,
Wrong - From 2000 through 2009, Medicare’s outlays climbed by an average of 9.7% a year. By contrast, since the beginning of 2010, Medicare spending has been rising by less than 4% a year. On this, both Standard Poor’s Index Committee and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) agree.
http://immasmartypants.blogspot.com/2011/08/aca-bending-medicare-cost-curve.html
Perhaps if America could cut down the size of its military to be proportional to other countries then the corporate tax rate could be cut also. Do you really believe that corporations should not pay their share for a military that actually defends their interests more than than those of the average citizen?
Other than that, US corporations have far more deductions available to them than foreign ones do. The playing field is pretty equal at the end of the day.
Dennis, most of the provisions of Obamacare have not gone into effect yet. The projections of medicare spending as a % of GDP are projected to go up. Taking $760 billion out of medicare to pay for Obamacare was supposed to be a deficit neutral proposal. So far, it has not worked out that way.
Chris,
All of the taxes have already gone into effect so what
else is there that will drive the cost curve back up ?
The median income for senior citizens is $23,000. And Paul Ryan wants that group to pay more for their health insurance. How do you squeeze blood out of a turnip?
Dennis..the cost of medical care and fraud need to be addressed. Fundamentally, we can't have a systemlike Medicare where the average person pays in $109,000 over their lifetime and has the opportunity to spend $340,000 once they reach the age of elligibility. I would like to see a Democratic plan to address this.
Chris Rhodes Scholar
Chris Rhodes Scholar
You can quit your right wing talking points. When FOX NOISE says Obamacare won't be repealed you're the one duped.
Wallace: Are you saying, as part of you budget, you would repeal -- you assume the repeal of Obamacare?" Wallace pressed.
Ryan: "Yes," Ryan insisted.
Wallace: "Well, that's not going to happen," Wallace pointed out.
Ryan:"Well, we believe it should, that's the point," Ryan replied. "This is what budgeting is all about, Chris. It's about making tough choices to fix our country's problems. We believe that Obamacare is a program that will not work."
http://videocafe.crooksandliars.com/david/paul-ryan-republican-budget-assumes-repeal
You've been duped. Have you forgotten how seniors shouted down little Eddie Munster about their medicare?
Paul Ryan Booed (VIDEO)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5kgnE1Xvec
Chris,
Why are you now addressing Medicare?
The topic under discussion was the cost curve for Obamacare.
The Obama administration has brought more Medicare and Medicaid fraud cases to trial than any previous administrations.
The 1:3 is the same as Social Security AND the same as the 401K if you have contributed for at least 30 years (like employees do with SS and Medicare).
And yet. President Obama was re-elected after he signed the Affordable Care Act, so it would appear Americans believe the program will work. This is still a democracy, Ryan, as much as you keep telling yourself it's not. The wealthiest 1% don't get to trump the will of the majority, at least not yet.
amy -- the ryan proposals do not target all seniors as many are fond of saying but rather just the "rich" ones which should appeal to you.
yes, obama was elected and he did sign the aca. only time will tell whether the aca is the marvelous piece of legislation the left believes it to be or the pathway to bankruptcy as many conservatives believe.
my family's healthcare costs have continued to rise, my company is having us pay more each year and are now beginning to talk about dropping our health benefit and have us transition into the government program -- i have suggested that obama call them and remind them that he, obama, promised that if we liked our insurance we could keep it -- seems now that i, along with 7,000,000 others have been lied to by obama on this point.
billybob-6210632
My health insurance premiums are going up too. Thank God I have insurance, because for years I worked at jobs that didn't provide it. I feel for people whose employers don't provide health insurance. I'm glad the Affordable Care Act was passed and signed by Obama, so we are on a path to getting more people covered. That's important.
Both President Obama and Rep Ryan are trying to address runaway healthcare costs. The Affordable Health Care Act addresses rising costs, and gives providers incentives to keep them down.
The Ryan Plan would set up competition between private insurance and Medicare. Supposedly, people are going to buy a private insurance plan that is the same or cheaper than Medicare, and somehow get the same benefits. I still don't understand how introducing a third party into the mix is going to lower costs over all. Having dealt with private insurers, I can't quite imagine being able to deal with them when I am slowed by dementia or serious illness as I age. Nothing that Ryan has said gives me much confidence in this plan.
Billybob you need to talk to your employer.
You were told you could keep your insurance if you liked it and guess what if your employer didn't like it and chose for you because he found both you and he could save more money throwing you off the insurance you liked.
How is your employers choices and yours to save money President Obama's lie.
Nothing but your and your employers own choices would make you give up the insurance you now like.
Garlic and truth always sends the vampires and republicans running away in horror.
Oh how sweet Chris & WCA... Time will prove your anti-everyone positions on the ACA.
Time will also discover what a great President G-dub was according to his little brother.
Do you mean Time magazine or the actual passage of Earth time?
@ Amy B. Portland,ME.#6.12: Ma'am: Our healthcare system is one big bloated, politicized, duplicative mess, comprising overlapping and competing services, all fighting for Federal, Medicare, Medicaid dollars, which is 70% of It's market. Otherwise It's market is Children from birth to 12 years, and generally the elderly from about 58 years until death. The present system could not support half Itself if it had to depend on those from above 13 years old through the age of 58 years. These people use Doctors and medical facilities only sporadically, and are generally few and far between. Yet, the gwaddamn republicans, and those ignorant sons-ah-bitches who support them politic this system to death. Under a genuine "single payer" system we could remove these costly, and unneeded competing facilities and duplicative services remove, or, at least, better control the retail profit and waste of the present system. We are going to have to do this at some time, and I hope It's sooner rather than later. We gwaddamn well don't need the republicans turning medicare into a voucher system, which is just another way of turning that money over to wall street. Regards dear Lady
Thanks Mac
The best reporting I heard about healthcare costs was on National Public Radio. They compared spending in two different towns in Texas, one town having much higher costs. Turned out the town with the higher costs had doctors who were as focused on turning a profit as they were on care. Not that they were bad people, but its only human to order as many tests and expensive treatments as you can, when it increases your income. The Affordable Care Act contains incentives to prevent disease, as well as treat it, and incentives for doctors to work together, not to duplicate care.
Addendum to #6.15: Gwaddamn messy program! Amy B.: My 3ed line in my post above should have read; "Otherwise It's market is Children above 12 years old through the age of 58 years". Believe it or not the above posting was the 3ed try. The 1st two were all jumbled up after posting and I erased 'em. This 1st read program is a real mess today. Regards
Obama's idea of a "deal" is to spend weeks attacking Republicans for not giving him tax raises and more spending...Oops, I mean "revenue" and "investment", while making exactly zero cuts to the already 260 BILLION dollars annually spent paying for fraud, waste, abuse, and redundancy filled programs, and that doesn't even count the useless programs, "czars" and their staffs, and overbloated branches of his administration.
Meanwhile he keeps on throwing out phony numbers about how his administration has somehow "cut" spending while our debt increases at a RECORD pace, we continue with RECORD Trillion dollar deficits, we continue to print what is not much more than 85 Billion dollars of monopoly money every month, and we continue to borrow and spend RECORD amounts of money that our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren will get the bill for.
In a nation that for generations actually cared about their children and leaving them a better life than ours, we now have an attitude of throwing our bills at them and who gives a damn what we leave them, just as long as I get my "free" stuff.
How many "czars" and their staffs did President Reagan have along with the "czars" the two Bush's had?
Also, coming out of the republican bubble in which facts can't get in the truth be told!!!
Actually the truth be told 94% of the national debt belongs to just 4 people, Reagan, Bush and Bush-Cheney
Obama has been pretty stingy about creating any new debt, and Obama needs to create some debt, in order to match these guys. FACTS!!!
http://reaganbushdebt.org/CalculationDetails.aspx
Of all the STUPID posts, yours about takes it.
You actually try to link to some left wing website to "prove" that out of almost 17 TRILLION dollars of debt, somewhere around 15 TRILLION of it belongs to Republicans?
Yeah right. And I've got a history making candidate I can sell you for President. He's useless, has never actually WORKED a day of his life, and couldn't lead himself out a door, but he gives a good speech and lies even when people know he's lying. Oh wait, you already bought him. Hook, line, and sinker, didn't you?
Guess what...The TRILLION dolllar deficits we have are from a BUDGET passed by DEMOCRATS in 2009 and signed by Obama. Since then there have been exactly ZERO budgets passed and EVERY dime in INCREASED borrownig and spending is because of what DEMOCRATS shoved down our throats in 2009 and NOT because of any Bush or from Reagan THIRTY YEARS AGO "genius".
Leave it to Joe to suggest the Senate spend a million bucks to whittle down the Ryan Budget to a bill containing a single word "BUDGET". Unlike Joe, who will dine on any bottom feeding carp, when you get a piece of garbage, you throw it in the trash, which is where the Ryan budget belongs.
Poor Chery, You really live in that right wing bubble that processes facts through the la la land scope. My God anyone with half a brain can see through your non-factual BS.
Also,
Submitted by speakingTHEtrut... 3/03/2010 03:23 pm PST
"Most people don't realize that Reagan was the first president to have Czars. The republicans act as if Obama is the first to have them but there again, they always judge him harder than their own."
Cheryl, I see you are one of the amnesia victims who think the recession started during the Obama administration, instead of before it. Bush cut taxes at the same time he waged two, expensive wars; what was that supposed to do to the deficit? And blaming the fiasco on Bill Clinton, really? Are you serious?
CherylLM
From 1992 until his election to the U.S. Senate in 2004, Barack Obama served as a professor in the Law School.
Media Inquiries | University of Chicago Law School
And you are about as uninformed as they come
Why is no one talking about the 800 lb gorilla in the room?
Obama has a dinner/meeting with repub senators. After the meeting, the senators talk about the Obama proposed cuts that they never heard of before. You know - the cuts Obama talked about with Boehner that were never presented to the republican membership.
Why didn't Boehner present Obama's cuts? All the Koch brothers need to buy is one congresscritter to keep anything from happening.
What else has been kept from the members of the repub party? How can they make decisions when they don't have all of the information needed to come to a compromise?
Job1, your post about the debt from the "ReaganandBushdebt.org" site is riddled with errors, not surprisingly. Here is one example of a post from a University (not a left or right wing blog) that talks about the cause of the housing crisis and sub-prime mortgages under the Clinton administration.
http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/subprime.htm
http://voxlogicaepage.blogspot.com/
blearyeyed . . .
I'd like to hear more about that as well! Why didn't Boehner and company pass along the full infomraiton to the republican party?
Cheryl,
I'm going to just guess that you have never voted in your life .... for anything. Just a guess. Most people that don't vote are the loudest to cry and rail against those of us that do.
Vox - you really ought to read the articles you cite and the conclusions - it is quite a leap to blame Clinton for shady lending practices practiced between 2005-07.
On May 6, 2009 the Center for Public Integrity published a study entitled Who's Behind the Financial Meltdown. The six member team of journalists preparing the study surveyed government data on millions of subprime mortgages issued between 2005 and 2007. Some of their major findings were
"He's useless, has never actually WORKED a day of his life, and couldn't lead himself out a door, but he gives a good speech and lies even when people know he's lying."
Cheryl... Those aren't "people" your talking about, they're "pipple"... " 'Merkin pipple" to be exact. And their rabid stupidity has carved them out of the mainstream into a swirling eddy as large streams often tend to do with the trash that pollutes them... Yammer on odd-ball!! Make sure ALL those 'Merkin pipple hear ya!
So what is the democratic solution to the steep rise we keep seeing in healthcare costs and medical insurance premiums? Obamacare has only exacerbated the situation and cutting reimbusements to Medicare providers is just going to limit access to services to the elderly as more and more providers refuse to accept Medicare (versus providing services for less than cost).
You folks just don't seem to be willing to admit that we have over-promised and have been living beyond our means as a country since the New Deal. We've finally reached a point where it is clear that the system as it stands is unsustainable. And the only solution you guys put forward is, "make somebody else pay for it (i.e. tax the rich)".
While it would be nice to live in Utopia, here on planet Earth such places just don't exist. As long as you lefties continue with the gimmee, gimmee, gimmee, dont cut back on what was promised to me attitudes we only get closer and closer to irreversable insolvency.
Obamacare is the democrats answer - what was/is the republican solution? Do nothing and let 'em die!!
RedDEv..remember - the GNOP remedy is vouchers and get sick..die quick...
Apparently Hadenuf... is incapable of grasping a simple fact: the skyrocketing cost of health care has been skyrocketing for decades, long before ObamaCare became law. Those skyrocketing costs occur as a result of better technology, research, treatments; those factors allow keeping people alive far longer than ever before but they are expensive. The existence of ObamaCare, Medicare and Medicaid has nothing to do with the high cost of medical care in this country. The USA may have the best care in the world available (to those who can afford it) but we also have the highest costs and the worst outcomes for the effort--none of which has a thing to do with ObamaCare.
Jody, stop being IGNORANT and accept the fact that the overarching cause of the skyrocketing costs of healthcare is that the consumers of healthcare services do not need to have any awareness of the cost of the services they consume. SOMEBODY ELSE PAYS FOR IT SO THERE IS NO INCENTIVE TO WORRY ABOUT COST!
On top of that, the second greatest contributor to the skyrocketng costs of healthcare are the rampant games providers play to subsidize some people's costs by overcharging others. My son had an appendectomy in 2012. As part of his charges, 75 minutes operating room rental was $13,000! If they operate only 12 hours a day, 5 days a week that comes out to $22 MILLION dollars per year of revenue generation for JUST the operating room (by the way, they operate more than that). The room is ALREADY BUILT. It needs to be maintained, stocked, etc. but even if they were spending $4 million per year to do that (which would be excessive) that still would leave a windfall profit situation on the order of 450%!
Technology advances and research are the drivers??? What are you smoking? As such things become mainstream the economies of scale kick-in and the real costs come down exponentially.
Obamacare just exacerbates that situation because it adds tens of millions of more people who don't have to worry about what the real costs are, with most of them getting their services without costs to themselves that get paid for at the expense others. Further, it doesn't add any "supply" of doctors/facilities/etc. so with increased demand and steady supply it drives up the price (Microeconomics 101).
If you want to start addressing the problems, it would have been a lot more effective to establish a catostphic coverage and a system of low-cost primary care service facilities to deal with the 80% of visits to high-cost facilities that have no need to be taking place there. You don't need to treat strep in an ER.
It's no wonder we have some many issues with people like you living in a fanatsyland.
Wow Jody, I had no idea that you or I could walk into a hospital, and demand an appendectomy in exchange for $5 bucks and a free-range chicken. Apparently, rising health care costs are all to blame for our willingness to pay whatever the medical profession charges.
Now, call me silly, but what about all that healthcare administered to the ill that forego treatment because they can't afford it? They have $5 and a free-range chicken, yet they are denied treatment. What the heck? Apparently, they lack the ability to barter. It sounds like American's should be required to spend a weekend in Tijuana learning how to properly purchase Chicklets from street kids. That's a sure-fired fix for our skyrocketing health care costs.
had enuf . . .
Holy @!$%# Batman!
And then this . . .
Jody's not living in Fantasyland nor are the majority of people in this country. You enuf have your head somewhere and if it's not stuck in the sand, I'm pretty sure I know where it is.
Rising healthcare costs are due to MANY components. I'm pretty sure you don't work anywhere near the industry and have no knowledge of procedures, etc. The drug companies alone are raping this country. The next time you see a pen with a medication on it - I've got a Geodon one at my desk at present - why don't you wonder how much that cost the American public? To have medications sold to prescribers - drug rep lunches, conferences, it all happens daily and we all pay for it. Yes, I'm concerned about what it costs and you should be too.
Just a point, with the help of Jed Bush, George W. Bush will go down in history as the 'Nation's first illegitimate President.'
Diogenes, Johntho already responded to your comment nicely; told you that Backhouse was talking about judicial nominees NOT the budget but it is worth repeating. BTW, perhaps D22 would like to explain how it is the GOP Senators blocked the budget votes, not by filibuster, but by putting anonymous holds on the scheduled votes; and by objecting to this or that within budgets using obscure Senate rules to delay action.
The Republican viewpoint:
1. The rich do not have enough money
2. The poor have too much money
The Democrats will gladly hug the Republican's elephant
The Republicans can kiss the Democrat's a$$
Maybe the GOP should try winning an election and leave policy alone.....
CherylLM
"we continue with RECORD Trillion dollar deficits"
False.
The CBO is projecting this years budget deficit at $853 billion, a 40% decrease since Obama took office.
J. Willard......you left out a portion of the article....
“We have large projected deficits, a debt that will remain at a historically high share of GDP and will be rising at the end of the coming decade,” CBO Director Douglas Elmendorf said. “I think what that implies is that small changes in budget policy will not be sufficient to put the budget on a sustainable path.”
Most likely reason the deficit level is projected to be down from last year is Obama is no getting more of my income through the expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts. I just love to see my tax dollars go to welfare recipients who figured out its better to be on Government assistance than getting a job. What a country.
J.Willard,
Can you explain then why we already have a 1 trillion plus deficit for this year and we are only half-way through it? I know liberals consider truth to be a sin and facts to be a threat but there you are.
Wow, a joker in the bunch.
"A 40% decrease"? $853 BILLION dollars in deficit spending STILL leaves Obama the RECORD all alone with the highest deficit spending in our nation's history, beaten ONLY by Obama's previous TRILLION dollar deficits. Oh, and by the way, cutting from 1.2 TRILLION in deficits to over $850 BILLION is not a "40%" decrease. It's more like 30%.
And you want to know WHY it will "only" be $853 dollars? Because he couldn't get his "investment" garbage past Republicans, and he got 62 BILLION dollars of new taxes for the year. Meaning he couldn't keep on spending money he doesn't have, but still gets to take MORE from those that work and EARN it and give it to those that think they are "owed" because they weren't as successful as others.
You are math challenged. The deficit in 2009 was $1.42 trillion. It is projected at $853 billion for 2013. Get a calculator and figure it for yourself. That is a DECREASE of 40%.
navyvet98
Where do you get that nonsense from?
Just remember folks.....the GNOP don't need no facts.....they make up the facts...
GNOP - THEY CAN'T HANDLE THE TRUTH!
J Willard...
Have you ever known a right-wing loony to post other than nonsense?
From the Congression Budget Office;
http://www.cbo.gov/publication/4390
"If the current laws that govern federal taxes and spending do not change, the budget deficit will shrink this year to $845 billion, or 5.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), its smallest size since 2008."
* Note that they tweaked it down to $845 billion since I checked it last week.
Remember, it's not the Obama spending. It's the bar tab that was run up under Reagan, Bush and Bush-Cheney.
Job1, actually neither is true. The debt and deficit is and will increasingly become a function of automatic spending on Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. Blaming either side for the debt right now is counterproductive. What is more appropriate is blaming both sides for not doing anything about entitlement reform.
http://voxlogicaepage.blogspot.com/2013/03/facts-about-budget.html
VoxLogicae, always find it interesting that those who provide information about so-called entitlement spending being the biggest drag on the budget....ignore the largest expenditure of all, the hugely bloated and outrageous Defense budget. Entitlements are a drop in the bucket in comparison PLUS payroll taxes cover the cost of those entitlements, and, in the case of Medicare a monthly premium is deducted from every senior's social security monthly check. Social security, as Reagan said, does not add one penny to the deficit or the debt.
Close the loop holes and don't give ANY spending cuts until these loop holes are closed. Period!!!
With the "fiscal cliff deal", John Boehner was offering a variety of loophole closings .... Obama would have none of it ! He demanded higher rates on the wealthy !!
So Obama has now raised taxes twice, once through Obamacare and again through the fiscal cliff deal.... and clowns like you want to raise them again ?? The problem, however, is that our nation's income will be at an all time RECORD high ... but Obama STILL refuses to keep his word and cut expenses !!!
It won't matter what path to U.S. citizenship is laid down, or how many billions more it will will cost, it isn't going to be enough. As we learned in 1986 with the last large scale amnesty program, Congress will see immigration enforcement as a conflict of interest. Yes, the government will be glade to take your money, but we have learned, or should have learned, Congress has no real political interests in actually stopping illegal immigration. It's amazing, the one thing that will significantly lower the incentive for people crossing our borders illegally can be accomplished at almost not cost. All we have to do is stop allowing those born in this country of non-citizen parents U.S. citizenship at birth.
The Framers saw U.S. citizenship requiring a choice, a free choice, to be made by a free individual, following the Lockean consent-based citizenship concept rather than the existing Cokean concept of perpetual allegiance of jus soli subjectship.. This is the difference between a natural born English subject and a natural born U.S. Citizen. It is the difference between being a natural born citizen of one of the united states and being a natural born U.S. citizen.
We must go back to the original intent of the Framers of the constitution and insist on a natural born American birthright, that requiring two U.S. citizen-parents, period. Those born in this country of one U.S. citizen-parent, if legally married, would simply be considered 'naturalized' U.S. citizens at birth, and given an opportunity to decide their allegiance at the age of consent.
Without such an adjustment in birthright citizenship, the impact of legalizing 11 to 20 million people, all of which are of one nationality, will be to weaken U.S. sovereignty, not strengthen it.
ex animo
davidfarrar
Oh yay, let's all go down the path of illegitimate bastards once again ... that was so much fun, you know.
BCWC - more power to you if you understood anything in david's post. Just made me want more coffee and a decoder ring.
Once again, Republicans count on Ryan who can't do math.
ObamaCare saves Medicare $716 billion over the next decade.
See Ryan and Republicans Medicare Advantage votes that wasted $800 billion of Medicare money.
That's $1.5 trillion in Medicare savings Democrats support. Republicans preferred wasting $1.5 trillion in Medicare.
"thanks in part to assuming the new tax hikes as well as the $716 billion in cuts to Medicare that Ryan and Mitt Romney said they would eliminate); it will transform Medicare into a voucher/premium support system for future seniors (under 55); and it calls for the elimination of Obama’s health-care law. But is this a serious budget? Or is it simply a political document?"
Of course it isn't serious. All I can do is be thankful Romney/Ryan lost at this point. There isn't much else to be thankful for, thanks in large part to a GOP who STILL can't put the well being of the nation before their political aspirations. After all of the damage, dithering, pandering and obstruction of the last decade, perhaps it is time some amendments were introduced which give the public majority the ability to immediately remove anyone below the office of president should they prove inept or unwilling to do the job they were placed there to do.
I've got a proposal for the republican congress Paul Ryan in particular. If congress will repeal their health care provided by tax payers, repeal their pensions also provided by tax payers and take a ten percent cut in pay we the voters will back repealing Obamacare. You see they want everyone else to suffer, but they don't won't to take any cuts to their benefits.
They should also pay for their own health care. Millionaires do not need a health care plan paid for by tax payers.
Did everyone notice, Republicans who blocked extending the 2% Obama payroll tax cut are now claiming that Obama raised taxes by 2%?
Republicans know that they are the ones responsible. Republicans and their followers seem happy to condemn their souls for an eternity.
Nobody blocked extending the payroll tax holiday. If you had been paying attention, last summer both parties acknowledged that the holiday needed to end and many on both sides of the aisle believed it was a bad idea in the first place. The payroll tax holiday ended because it needed to end and both parties agreed. Extending it was never on the table.
From the Congression Budget Office;
http://www.cbo.gov/publication/4390
"If the current laws that govern federal taxes and spending do not change, the budget deficit will shrink this year to $845 billion, or 5.3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), its smallest size since 2008."
That is a 40% decrease since Obama took office.
Total National Debt from U.S. Treasury website:
$5,662,216,013,697 – (01/01/2001) Bush2 about to take office
$8,680,224,380,086 – (01/01/2007) Reid & Pelosi take control of Congress
$9,229,172,659,218 – (01/01/2008) Reid & Pelosi Budgets Go Into Effect
$10,699,804,864,612 – (01/01/2009) Obama about to take office
$16,701,250,641,110 – (03/07/2013)
The total national debt has increased by $6.0 trillion since Obama took office, and that is $1 trillion more debt than was added during the entire 8 years Bush2 was in office.
"IF" the deficit shrinks back to the same percentage of GDP that it was back in 2008, that would mean no decrease since Obama took office.
Unfortunately, the president cannot spend money, only the Congress can. Why is Boehner running up such a huge debt?
Willard that's funny since Obama just asked for 65 Billion for the IMF, I thought we were broke and closing down the government LOL?
Viknut...
Who authorizes spending? Even YOU said Obama asked....
SayWhat that's the problem he asked for 65 Billion of our tax money when he supposedly wants to shut down the Government, Liberal Logic is really in the land of OZ
Peter17 -
Your numbers are simplistic and typical of low intellects trying to prove a point they heard from somewhere/someone else.
It takes 10 miles to turn an aircraft carrier around. Our economic problems didn't start on January 20, 2009 and they weren't going to be fixed by November 6, 2012. It took GWB 8 years to destroy our economy and it will take longer than that to fix it.
It's plain and simple, the bills from the Bush era came due.
Grow a pair will 'ya ? Obama has been in office over 4 years now, and "children" like you are still playing the blame game ! I expect we will still be hearing your garbage in 2016 !!
And Bush was in office for eight years with plenty of time to cause the big crash of dept.
Obama has run up MORE DEBT in 4 years than Bush did in eight ! You Obama apologists should get up off your knees !! The blame game is simply your way of acknowkedging that Obama STILL cannot get the economy moving again ... even after 4 years of "Bam-Bam's leadership".
@ Peter17,
It's already been explained to you. And you just don't get it. Like a Horse, grazing on a railroad track before an oncoming train. You don't even respond to it. The $16 trillion National debt figures you cite are NOT indictive of Gov't spending. So it is NOT reflective of what Gov't spent and owes, Bozo. The Federal deficit is indictive of what Gov't still owes after the spending it already paid for. National debt reflects the PUBLIC debt, collectively, Idiot. The Consitution does not grant authority to any sitting President to impose limitations on private citizen decisions to incur debt. The President cannot tell you when to buy a house and if not to be in debt for $200,000k for buying that house. Get it? If you care to reflect the debt strictly of Gov't (not all private citizens totaled). You must cite Federal deficit figures. In FY 2009.........$1.4 trillion.
In FY 2013..........$901 billion
GOP: Mr President! We need to close GITMO! It is expensive, and it is not efficient to hold military tribunals!
OBAMA: I agree! We need to close GITMO. Lets' get it done!
GOP: Oh Hell NO! We need GITMO ! How dare you suggest we close it!!?
You forgot...
(pause)
GOP: ...but, Mr President, you didn't close GITMO like you said you were going to!
...and THANK YOU, First Read, for Friday's story on Sulaiman Abu Ghaith's appearance in federal court on Friday...over 2500 comments with Conservatives screaming that he be sent to GITMO.
Da Noid...
LOL! You are 100% spot on!
and then there's:
GOP: Why did Democrats go along with opening GITMO in the first place? They could have stopped it, but they didn't.
@Amy
GITMO opened in 2002....Bush had a GOP House and Senate..
Say What? That was indirectly Amy's point, it was a "tongue in cheek" comment because the GOP talks as as if democrats could have stopped Bush/Cheney from opening Gitmo when the GOP controlled the House, Senate and White House.
@Say What?-809562
GOP: Stop trying to confuse the issue with actual facts!
It could be worse.....we could be waiting for 5 years until we get a budget!
The CR is the budget.
The CR is merely a game because Obama is incapable of providing the REAL leadership that would be needed to get a budget passed ! Obama simply wants to grow government at every opportunity and that requires taxpayer dollars... as federal government FEEDS off the private sector, like a cancer.
The beauty is that Obama is still President, and all of the crying and moaning is not going to change that simple fact!!!
There is no "BEAUTY" in our nation going bankrupt ! Go give Obama another kiss, Job1.
Wow I must not be paying any attention to the news for the last few years. What Budget are they talking about? It can't be a Budget for the USA as we haven't had one even in those years since there was single party in control of the Executive Branch and both Houses of Congress way back in 2009.
I'm so glad the President is fiscally responsible or at least has figured out that the OPM is running out. Or at least he's proving that global warming is caused by more than fossil fuels, such as hot air from carbon based lifeforms.
Waiting to see which government agency will be spending less dollars this year than it spent last year.
Odd, the GOP claims it wants to cut spending but keeps passing Continuing Resolutions based on current spending. Not to mention the GOP wants to increase Defense spending by cutting more from the general fund which pays for education, infrastructure, air traffic control, etc.
Yes, it would be nice to see across the board cuts. No government agency should be exempt.
If only the republicans believed in cuts to programs for themselves.
If they really believe we Americans shouldn't have taxpayer paid for health-care then they should give up their health-care paid for by taxpayers.
If the republicans really don't beleive in retirements like social security, they should give up their retirement paid for by us taxpayers.
If those on unemployment should give up 10% of their income, the the congress should give up 10% of their income.
But instead of giving up what the republicans have no problem asking others to give up, the republicans instead scream bloody murder when white house tours are cut due to their austerity measures meant only to hurt the poor.
First, excuses are like a$$holes, everyone has one and they all stink.
The U.S. lost 6.3 million manufacturing jobs between January 1990 and the industry's low point in January 2010, a 36% decline, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Since that low point, the industry has added nearly 500,000 jobs -- an impressive number, but one that barely begins to offset the millions of losses.
.
The recovery has been jobless and joyless until last Friday more jobs have been added - 236,000 jobs were added to the economy in February, and the unemployment rate dropped to 7.7% from 7.9%
Perot 1992 "Jobs getting sucked out of the country" - Many people saw it back then, but unfortunately too many people bought into the spin of "BS" that we were being sold. Seems that both parties were always able to distract and polarize voters with insignificant peripheral issues like gay marriage and abortion, which got most voters so caught up in the BS that they lost sight of the bigger picture.
YouTube - Giant Sucking Sound - Ross Perot 1992 Presidential Debate.flv
And this something that most of us already knew at that time, because it was just common sense!
You may want to check this site out: economyincrisis.org
And these articles:
economyincrisis.org/content/protectionism-matter-self-survival#comment-6632
economyincrisis.org/content/unethical-predatory-practices
Too bad we'll never see these types of articles in the mainstream media
It's appears that the foreign interests are influencing our media as well, just watch the ABC Nightline special on Apple's iPhone and iPad products being made in China that ends with the dramatic biased comment "That you can be the nation that lines up to make these products or the nation the lines up to buy them, but it's impossible to be both". What BS propaganda! ABC has direct ties to Apple and Foxconn. It also doesn't help us compete when these company's factories are subsidized by China's communist government.
A couple weeks ago even "60 Minutes" got into the act with their BS show about US manufacturing companies not being able to find enough qualified help. It doesn't help, since manufacturing has been declining for decades, that our children are being pushed towards liberal arts degrees rather than technical training which could have led to jobs, had we not been going down the ever increasing path of "Out-Sourcing".
But the news that Apple CEO Tim Cook has revealed that one of the existing Mac lines will be manufactured exclusively in the United States next year is at least a step in the right direction.
And for those that will say that many jobs are being replaced by robotics and automation, you still need people to maintain and service the automated equipment, warehouse personnel, truck drivers to deliver the products, purchasing people to buy the materials, managers, office staff, etc.
Also, let's manufacture the automated equipment and develop the software to be used for this automated manufacturing, etc. This not only gives jobs to the US citizens who would be working in those manufacturing facilities, but to the people that would be working in the businesses that would spring up all around them.
We also need to Stop ILLEGAL immigration! They're not just doing jobs that Americans don't want. Do they pay taxes? Don't get me wrong most of these people work very hard, but are a drain on the system if they don't pay taxes, have healthcare coverage, learn the language or get paid wages that are in line with their American counterparts. Who's footing the bill for the education of their children and the infrastructure around them? We all know that the health care provided to uninsured illegals here in the states is being averaged into our hospital costs and our insurance premiums, which have PROPORTIONATELY increased along with illegal immigration over the last 20 years? These costs are also being passed along to Medicaid and Medicare, which means that not only are they increasing our insurance premiums, but that we're paying for them again with our tax dollars.
Our tax dollars and insurance premiums should not be used to recoup the cost of healthcare given to illegal immigrants, who shouldn't even be here in our country in the first place.
To the people that disagree, we should ask them should this: If a few illegal immigrants knocked on your door and demanded that you pay some medical bills for them, would you pay them?
Just look around and you'll see who's doing 90% of the residential renovations, construction and property maintenance jobs. That's certainly what we're seeing in the northeast. These are not just jobs that Americans don't want.
Unfortunately the hiring of cheap illegal labor causes a chain reaction. The contractors who hire cheap, uninsured, non-taxpaying, ILLEGAL aliens undercut the contractors who hire US Citizens or Legal immigrants. Even if the contractor wants to continue to employ US Citizens or Legal tax-paying immigrants, they end up replacing their Legal employees with illegals just to be able to get the jobs.
Let's get the good productive ILLEGAL Aliens into the system and paying federal and state income tax or get them out and not let more in unless they come in as Legal Immigrants. Make them apply for legal visas and or U.S. citizenship and if they don't, then get them out. If they get rejected get them out or give them one quick appeal and if they still get rejected, then get them out.
Let's send the bad ILLEGAL Aliens back to where they came in and let's put a stop to more ILLEGAL Aliens getting in.
Bringing manufacturing back home to the USA is going to end up being not only a key to restoring our economy, but to maintaining our national security as well.
While our politicians have been bickering for years like idiotic babies, China has been crushing the USA in a war that we don't even know we're in and without even firing a shot.
Our economic problems didn't happen overnight. It's been happening over the past 15-20 years, but the economy was kept going by middle class Americans tapping into the equity on their homes until they were completely tapped out.
It shouldn't be all about Democrats or Republicans! It should be about doing the right thing for our country and the majority of its citizens. I consider myself an independent voter, but going back to the Reagan days and with the only exception having been Perot, I’ve always voted Republican. But all this single-minded, left versus right, ideological one dimensional bull has got to go! This is the problem with our country. It shouldn't be about Democrats or Republicans! It should be about Americans, especially our elected officials, doing the right thing for our country and its citizens.
Both parties have sold out the bulk of the American citizens, who they're supposed to represent, by allowing the "out-sourcing" floodgates to open wider and wider without taking any sensible measures to stem the tide. (Under Clinton jobs to China, Under Bush I & II influx of illegals or cheap easily abused labor into the US and jobs to Mexico/NAFTA) Our leaders are elected by the Citizens of the United States of America to represent the interests of those citizens and the country itself. They are NOT elected by the Global Market Place or foreign citizens!
We need our elected officals to Start Protecting American Jobs and do whatever it takes to bring back the jobs they let go. We need leaders who will actually stand up for the American people.
We need to bring manufacturing back to the United States of America and both parties are ignoring tariffs as a way to level the playing field, raise money and bring jobs back home. Let's guess why. Oh that's right, tariff is a dirty word. Hum, maybe it’s that our so called leaders (political leaders) are beholden to the same people who are exporting our jobs.
I guess we should keep letting Corp Boards, Wall Street, CEOs and Foreign Lobbyists promote sending US jobs to countries where they work for slave wages, no benefits, no OSHA safety standards or no real environment regulations. How's that been working for us?
The so called “Global Market Place” is not a level playing field. Companies may have made higher profits by "out sourcing", but they've been putting middle class Americans who are a good part of the world’s customer base out of work. I’m not a lefty or member of any union. I run a business that employs over 20 people and produces products that are purchased by customers that do manufacturing and packaging. I’m just an average Joe, but I've been saying this for more than 10 years now. If I can see it, so can our so called leaders (political leaders) who are beholden to the same people who are exporting our jobs.
We need to add tariffs that are proportionate to the inequities in wages and regulations in the country where the goods were produced and or where we’re importing them from. We could then use the money raised by these tariffs to help companies build state of the art manufacturing plants here in the USA, which would create more jobs here at home for US citizens, which would then in turn increase our income tax revenue.
The people with all of the excuses as to why we can’t or aren’t willing to manufacture products here in the US are the same people who have provided us with the thinking that’s gotten us into this mess in the first place.
Over the past 15-20 years, I've seen too many of our customer's close manufacturing plants here in the USA and move those plants to different countries, decimating entire areas here in OUR COUNTRY. And I'm not alone. Returning jobs to American Citizens will provide income tax revenue to OUR Government versus our government having to pay unemployment benefits to those who would be jobless instead.
Bringing manufacturing back to the US not only gives jobs to the US citizens who would be working in those manufacturing facilities, but to the people that would be working in the businesses that would spring up all around them. This should also include the safe harvesting, production and distribution of our own natural energy here in the USA, rather than paying for fuel from countries where they hate us. Let’s keep that money and those jobs here in the US.
These so-called “free trade agreements” have to go. It was obvious when they were passing these agreements as to what was going to happen and sure enough it did. Our leaders had to have known this as well when they were passing these bills. It’s just common sense. We also need to bring customer support services back to the United States of America and staff them with employees who are US Citizens.
The “Global Market Place” is not a level playing field! The whole idea of the tariffs is so we can pay our factory workers a decent wage and not be blown out by these other countries where they don’t play by the same rules.
Check out the Chinese extreme pollution issues - We all live in the same world, but not every country plays by the same rules.
How long does it takes to copy and paste 5 entries from a different thread?
6 minutes.
Of all people, YOU should know .... but then again Beverly might have you beat ! LOL !!
Said the resident authority on getting beat...
Oh, chickie poo .... guys like you "beat" themselves ! Maybe, with your "intelligent, deep-thinking comments of such magnificent relevance" .... we should just call you "masterdebator" ...... or leave out a letter or two, or misspell ...... on purpose !
Ruken, Is that you ???????????????????
You can thank Harry Reid and Mitch Mconnell making a deal handshake to keep the 60 vote supermajority rule in place for the 113th Congress, even though Harry Reid complained about the abuse of the GOPs consistant abuse of the rule of over 380 fillibusters blaocking every conseivable measure to help seniors, unemployment benefits, veterans, the military, the "Dream Act" to allow serving military immigrants to become American Citizens, and finally resconstruction of roads and bridges in this country.
The GOP, whose been in place for generations, is now being threatened by the "Tea Party" congresspeople who are undermining the two party system of government. They are looking for a third party, or replace the existing repulican party altogether. It appears to be that way, because the present leadership in both houses of the GOP are encouraging the extreemist policies for political purposes.
We don't want President Obama to make a deal on social security with the GOP. We voted for this President for that reason. We understand saving money on Medicare with looking to save money from redundance or fraud....
Joanie, not exactly an accurate claim. Harry Reid did not have sufficient democratic votes to change the filibuster rules; only about 30 dems supported it. Democrats, and I am a democrat, need to recognize that fixes to both social security and medicare are necessary; there are many solutions that will not change the programs the way the GOP wants to privatize and eliminate them. I much prefer those necessary "fixes" be done while a democrat is President and democrats still control the Senate.
Yeah, Ross Perot warned us against a giant sucking sound - manufacturing jobs have declined so much since. But Last Friday's job data is a good sign, I hope.
Last Friday's data is merely puffed up because the Fed is printing money faster a liberal can spend it .... and that's really pretty damn fast !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Recently, companies including Apple, Lenovo, Otis Elevator and General Electric have said that the growing cost of logistics and labor overseas has motivated them to move some manufacturing back to the U.S.
But high degree of automation still means few jobs with such onshoring.
But one area the US should work hard is high-end manufacturing which we have an advantage with relatively fewer competitors. Such highend manufaturing includes: semiconductor machinery; saw mill products; paperboard mill products; motor vehicle stamping operations; transformer, inductor and coil manufacturing; electron tubes; computer storage devices, and heavy duty trucks and chassis.
Even though many old jobs have been replaced by robotics and automation, you still need people to maintain and service the automated equipment, warehouse personnel, truck drivers to deliver the products, purchasing people to buy the materials, managers, office staff, etc.
Also, let's manufacture the automated equipment and develop the software to be used for this automated manufacturing, etc. This not only gives jobs to the US citizens who would be working in those manufacturing facilities, but to the people that would be working in the businesses that would spring up all around them.