AIG and the government

I would want a bit more info before I made a blanket statement. If it is completely true, that is a bit disturbing.

I understand why the bailout was necessary for AIG. It has nothing to do with politics. It is simple pure economics. If we allow it to fail, people will panic and withdraw their money. Insurance claims can now not be paid. Insurance policies concerning cars, public works projects, Airlines and their planes, and that would be a disaster. A bank run does not just start and end with one establishment. Now, If all they spend the money on is paying creditors, shoring up claims, or simply productive measures, fine. Now wasting it on some morale-boosting getaway, not quite.

McCain would have faced the same issue and likely used similar measures so lets leave the partisan element out. This is different than a dictatorship, if one knows their history. True, other factors were in play at that time versus now.

This may have to do with the fact that the Federal Reserve is insulated from Congress and does not really answer to them. They wrote the contract and now Congress, a third party, is trying to amend it for their own good. Politicians and economists always have different goals in mind.

This is capitalism at it's finest. If it was socialism, all the Ceo's would have been fired and control of said Institution would be put in the "public's" hands.

And the American government has been breaking contracts and treaties since it's formation. Nothing has changed in America just the faces have.

Maybe Obama figures to make some of it up on our VETERANS. His administration has sought to make our warriors come up with their own health care now........but strangely enough, there was immediate backlash from the V.A. and veterans groups, so Obama, (in the only smart thing he HAS done so far) backed off from it. He was reminded that Blue Cross doesn't send troops in harm's way..the GOVERNMENT does!

Pretty neat idea, eh?..........they go and fight the government's wars, and when they get their arms and legs blown off, it's on THEIR nickel, not Uncle Sam's...............Social programs come first, and I'm sure we all understand that.

Obama's been a busy boy...his adminisration is also shutting DOWN the airline program to allow their pilots to carry guns in the cockpits..............good news for terrorists.

(Maybe that's where his "gun confiscation" program will start?)

Ah.....Nancy Pelosi back in the news.....just told a big audience in San Francisco that it was "UN-American" for our ATF "Thugs" to raid worksites, kick down doors in the middle of the night and REMOVE illegals from their families and deport them.........Applalling.......

Oh...and the BEST is yet to come from our liberal friends....guess who's gonna help the White House count and control the census?........and it's official..............ACORN! Remember them?

Talk about "stacking the deck", eh?

No Midea........what is "scary" is that Obama and his following of mindless robots are doing one thing right after the other to dismantle this country and the public at large seems content to just sit and gawk like patients recovering from a labotomy.

Where is the outrage? Why are there only a few of us willing to stand and DO something about it?

Obama and his hand-picked cabinet of cheats, liars and rejects are in the process of destroying America. Wouldn't surprise me at all if we found out he was the anti-christ.

The hordes of ignorant, non-thinking nitwits who bought into this, and helped vote this administration into office are the ones who ACTUALLY need to be deported.

Equally to blame are the "Republicans" out there who pushed so hard to give the "RINO" McCain the party nomination, when there were CLEARLY better choices. So Osama-Obama was able to run practically un-opposed. Sarah Palin was the only one on EITHER ticket with any credibility, and the media went after HER with an ax.

Hold on to your wallets if you can.......Pelosi and friends are talking about yet ANOTHER 750 Billion.....................hey, gotta finish robbing the people while the door is still open!

I had the good fortune to attend a John Birch Sociaty meeting in Boise the other night. The Federal Reserve was discussed, along with the IRS, all this paper currency with NO backing....and the Constitution as always, was the MAIN topic.

I walked out of there totally recharged...and MADDER (if such a thing is possible).

The Democrats should be grateful that most Americans get their information off the television. If everybody actually KNEW what the government is allowed and NOT allowed to do, there would be no more talk of revolution and "taking this country back."...............it would already be a DONE DEAL.

Bazooka:you poor confused old man.

The John Birch Society? Wow, I thought they had gone the way of the KKK. Living in shacks, making moonshine and wearing bedsheets while they terrorize citizens on the basis of skin color. This is the same John Birch Society that opposed Civil Rights legislation on the basis that civil rights was a communist ideology. And the same society the labeled Dr. Martin Luther King as a communist agitator. And the same society that leaned towards antisemitism, because they thought the Jews were a part of a cabal of bankers intent on a One World Order. Bazooka, was the confederate party too extreme for you in their outright racist views, and now your apart of a league of conspiracy nuts who hide their racism behind a clock of gentility and nationalistic pride? Nice choice, you've sloughed off one racist group for another. Your evolving from a water snake into a stinger-less scorpion.

I better make fun of myself on the spelling of cloak first, before anyone else does.

It's CLOAK you fool! Not clock. What a jerk!

Great spirited debate here! I love seeing the minds working. I also saw a new person. Welcome midea. Thanks for posting. The Congress are passing legislation to tax bonuses 90% of companies that have received federal assistance. Of course, the general idea is to get the money back for "the people" Everything that they ar doing is to show the outraged people that they are all for them. Right? Well, only you, the people with the great minds, can make that distinction. My mind has told me that this will be the foot-hold needed to continue to take control. As many of you have realized, this was a perfect situation created by the Fed Reserve to cause outrage at the people who got the bonus so they could ride in on their white horses and save the day! They will tax bonuses and get names. It almost sounded like a "Witch Hunt"! "Give us the names of these "criminals" who took the bonuses. How scary is that?

So my question is, where can this legislation lead? Will any business that gets a government loan or assistance fall under this? Does that mean that all those people who are paid less for their work with the promise of a bonus at the end of the quarter or year, will now receive a few dollars while the government takes 90%? Contracts and agreements mean less than the paper it is written on. And yes, this country has always had ways to get around the Constitution and laws but the difference now is that it is in full view of the public, splashed all over the news in a slap-your-face kinda way. This isn't subtle!

ACORN and it's people have been charged with multiple cases of voter fraud. This the organization that Obama appoints to help? Another slap-in-the-face, America! Our President is telling us that HE is in control. He makes the decisions and anyone who speaks out against him, he tells his media hounds to follow and destroy publically. Take Rush for example. It was reported that when Obama heard his speech, he called all of the White House media staff and ordered them to watch him, listen to him and get anything that they could out in public to discredit him. He reacts like a King who has been slighted by one of his Earls. He will seek and destroy.

Censored..are you and "Jacknife" related? You two obviously have the same doctor.

You libs beat that race card like a drum. Wouldn't surprise me a bit if you worked for ACORN.

The John Birch Society WOULD be foreign to you, because their goals have always been to RESTORE our Constitution, kick the U.N. out of here and set things right in this country, as our founding fathers conceived it..to rid our country of the fleecing by the

Federal Reserve and the IRS, to go back to the TARIFF system (where we pay tax on WHAT WE BUY..rather then have it stolen from us, and handed out to every pork and charity the Dems can think of.

You know, those "dirty bums" are even against NAFTA and the NAU...........disgraceful...........racists, of course.

Putting America FIRST again...............novel idea, you wouldn't comprehend that either,

It's all "racist."...EVERYTHING is "racist" to you people, if it doesn't fit your dogma.

I'll bet you were cheering yourself into tears of joy as your heroine Fancy Nancy was telling that San Francisco crowd how "un-American" it is to arrest illegals and send them back.

...........It ain't just the illegals we need to deport.............

If you feel that having a large tariff would be helpful just do some reading on the Smoot-Hawley Tariff. It was a complete disaster and helped the depression happen. Also indirectly led to Europe's economic downturn and subsequent war. International Trade has always and will always be a key component to any nation having a sound economy. Protectionist policies when taken too far result in situations like Russian in the early 1900's and China in the 1960's.

the U.N. may have its issues but not to keep referring to history but if we would have cooperated with one another. WWI and WWII may not have happened or on a much smaller scale. To maximize the well-being of all. One needs some cooperation. Being sovereign and isolated sounds good but have you thought that there might be consequences to this. We will not always be the dominant military or economic power. There is evidence that we will be second to China in the foreseeable future. They did not climb the ranks by shutting their doors to the world. Do you make money by selling your labor to yourself? No, of course you do not. You need others to make all aspects of life happen. Why produce if there is no demand. Americans, if fully utilized, can produce more than they need so why not export it. One cant export to an unwilling partner. Net exports go down and no what do you have, Lower GDP. Hmmm.... can you guess what that means?

So, how about the most recent crap with AIG...the bonus money paid was larger and MORE than stated. How do you tax money at 90% that is not even in the US?

Yep, Obama is in charge and it shows. He is a crook and should be in jail along with his friends that do not pay their taxes and the ACORN folks that fixed the vote with dead people, etc. Why does Obama surround himself with criminals and do business with criminals? Well, because you are what you eat. Nice comment he made regarding his bowling and the Special Olympics---that was class. Oh, and the dog comment as well. He is really something.

Yep, change I can believe in. Censored, you are a class A JA.

Think of where we would be if people like the AIG folks did not run the world with their greed and ignorance. Pay based on performance. What a concept.

Yeah, he's right, Missy..........damn us anyway, for being actual AMERICANS and having the gall to support our Constitution.

Don't waste your breath, Missy. You can always tell a liberal............but not much.

Personally, I don't see where he should have taken offense to being called a Class AJA.........I mean, that IS their party symbol, isn't it?.......and FITTING too! Who else would sign an 1100 page contract worth nearly a TRILLION (INCLUDING the info about the bailout bonuses) without even READING it first?

You'll notice that except for 3 nitwits, OUR side did NOT put THEIR fingerprints on it. It'll still be Bush's fault, though..no matter how many bonehead calls they make. Doesn't matter.

The JBS flooded the internet and ran magazine ads wherever they could to inform the public, specificslly about the NAU. They have CHAMPIONED the cause of getting us out of the U.N.............fact is, if you've lived here long enough you might remember that huge billboard on the southside of 84 just before you got into Boise that read "Fight Terrorism, get us OUT of the U.N."

Know who put that up? And they put them up in every state they could financially afford to.

Interesting meeting the other night. I've been to TWO of them over the past year or so.......................

Only meeting I've been to in recent memory where it BEGINS with the pledge of allegience. America first.

And the "America I'm talking about" is the one I doubt you'd remember

An America where "made in the USA" meant something

Where you didn't have to worry about what your kids were taught in school

Where whatever they watched on television was ok

Where grass was something you walked on and coke was something you drank

Where it was Adam and Eve, not Adam and Steve

Where murderers were put to death, not back out on the streets

Where you got what you paid for

Where young folks could count back change rather than be computer zombies

Where you could leave your door unlocked while you were gone

Where gas was 29 cents a gallon and you got 106 octane for it

A new Impala was about $2400, and built well enough to last you 30 years if you needed it to

Decent citizens had more rights than the hoods

The government worked for US

WE..........WE.......owned our land, not the Chinese and other countries

Our kids were taught to be respectful

Store aisle signs only came in one language, and the language on ANY tv show was clean

Rock and roll songs were about hot rods and surfing, not cop-killing and "lookin' for tush"

People stood when our flag passed and were proud to be Americans

There weren't any "Monica's" in our White House (that we know of, anyway)

Veterans who were willing to fight for our freedoms weren't asked to "get their own health care"

If you didn't live here but wanted to....you didn't sneak over the border, you did it the right way, and border agents weren't tossed into prison for doing their jobs.

Our Constitution was the law of the land, not communism or socialism as we are now approaching.

The "Oath of Office' was taken seriously

"Gun control" meant using both hands

"Stock cars" were STOCK cars

"Crack" was something you patched on a wall, and a "lid" was what you found atop a mustard jar

A "crank" was your old Uncle Fred

And an AMERICAN?.................well Censored...........I look around today, and I'm just not sure what that means anymore. I used to know. Of course, I'm only 61 and obviously haven't been around that long and certainly cannot match experience with these college professors, who draw from doctrines and manucripts.

Sorry for calling you a democrat. That WAS a pretty low blow, but you've been talking like one. Had ME fooled. You must not have a politcal preference unless you're a socialist, because I KNOW you're not a Republican......unless a RINO like McCain.

Actually, it's none of my business what you are. The only thing I'm focused on right now is what lies ahead, and plans B, C. and D.

You lefties out there can quote theory to the jackboots when they start kicking the doors in.

So all they did was advertise. That really is a big help, but they did not get down from their easy chairs to picket and protest along with the radicals who were out getting beat down by your "jackboot" fascists. Sending Emails, letters, and putting up signs doesn't do D#@k, when they're only targeted to a certain audience. Like the middle class, who have forgotten what it means to struggle and fight when they're being screwed. All they see is their pocket book/bank account and only want to keep it full. They don't care about what the government is up to as long as it doesn't interfere with their daily T.V. shows and consumption of useless luxury items. And speaking in terms of the middle class, there would be no middle class if it weren't for radicalized union men who stood up to governmental and corporate tyranny to get better wages and safer working conditions. These same working men and women who were demonized as communist through out the late 1800's and early 1900's. If it hadn't have been for these radicals you people would still be living in squall-er and oppression at the hands of industrialist with the backing of your fabled patriotic constitutionalists government, with the help of groups such as JBS. There has never been true democracy in the U.S., only false hope. There has never been a government that actually works for the people. When was the last time the government listened to it's people? Did they ever listen when the overwhelming majority of Americans said we don't want this war? Any war? Because almost ever war we've had, the majority of the citizens were against them. Did the government listen? Nope. They certainly didn't listen when the majority of Americans were protesting Bush1 and 2's wars. They don't listen when the majority of Americans say we don't want your new taxes, or we don't want your patriot act. The fact is, the Government has never listened to the people unless there is mass unrest, like during the civil rights days. Mass unrest that threatens their power structure. And their power structure has always been based on getting rich, on the backs of the working class and the poor, and staying rich. The only Voices that the Government has ever heard "Willingly" is the Voices of the Corporations, the voices of the super-rich. That's why you get Corporate Bails outs, Bank Bail Outs, instead of Peoples Bail Outs. Your Government Favors big business ahead of the people. To the Government we are only taxes, we are only funding of wars, we are only mechanisms to make and keep them rich. We are only servile beasts that serve to fight their wars. Jack London, the author of White Fang, gave this power structure of Corporations and Government the title of "The Iron Heel". The "iron heel" that walks upon "our faces" and "flaunts it's abuse of power". And I say, "No Bazooka, there has never been a Government in America for the people, unless the people happened to be the super rich or the devils in suits making the laws." So keep dreaming of a place where the government worked for you. Because that's all it is, a dream. We are the dumb masses, the willing participants in their rise to power.

And I am no more a socialist then I am a Republican or a Democrat. I am no more a Communist then I am minuteman. All of those groups in the end, only want power not equality. The only group I'll ever stand by is the poor and the working class. And I will never side with the patriots, because the patriots have always been "used" by the politicians and corporations, to crack the skulls and walk on the faces, of the "common people" who only wanted equality.

You, Bazooka, live in a Norman Rockwell fantasy.

Bazooka,

The past had its issues. They are well known and well defined. Just wanting to harken back to simpler times is not the answer. This philosophy is what started the disaster known as WWI and ultimately WWII.

mhbouncer:

Yeah, and you didn't attack first, did ya? And you didn't ask any questions. Another thing, you've given no facts to anything and further you didn't write any truthful, intelligent remarks. And where did you find this "one world, happy smiling people" crap? Again as far as Obama (and his gang) are concerned, I consider them in the same whorish boat as the rest of the politicians and mindless talking heads, right or left. So keep mixing up your P and Q's. Or maybe it's just hard for you to conceive of someone not following along the right, left or center lines? It's hard, but someday you'll get it.

And this whole statement goes down both dem and republican lines,"They will never truly be happy until the whole world thinks as they do. And at that point they will change their collective minds and decide they believe in something else. I honestly believe there is nothing that flops faster than a true LIBERAL (or conservative)."

Neanderthal ways? Your kidding yourself, my dear.

Bazooka:

How does understanding the past cause WWI and WWII?(define that statement)

And as a matter of fact I've read plenty of your blogs looking back to the nostalgic past in search of fixes for today. And your nostalgia always leaves out something anyway so they are dismissible.

Keep it up fellas, and maybe you'll get to the point of talking for yourselves, instead of repeat, repeat, puking out statements from the t.v. man.

I'll keep my money, guns, and religion, Censored. You can keep the "change"

And the rest of you liberals out there...........I'll give your socialist president the same respect you gave Sarah Palin.

Reagan was for REDUCTION of government.....Obama wants the government to be able to SEIZE corporations...even those who DIDN'T need a bailout,........if they don't produce to certain standards. WHO is the Socialist here?

Obama wants to control the census......(he and ACORN)

He wants the government to run everything, which is why there are strings attached to these "state handouts"

The government never gave anybody anything, and ANY government big enough to "give' is damn well big enough the TAKE. You'd better think about that while you're still allowed to.

The main problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.

You can take potshots at guys like Bouncer and I all you want, dude, but we're gonna be out from under the rubble you others get caught slammed with, when the "sky DOES fall" as you put it.

And to be sure, we had our share of problems back in the "good old days" (which really WERE)........every age has had its problems, but NOWHERE CLOSE to what we've got today. Nowhere near the corruption, and we have strayed so far from God and our Constitution, that Old Glory is in imminent danger of being replaced by the U.N. flag.......or maybe the hammer & sickle, or the national flag of Mexico.

And your little drummer boy in D.C. is trying to lead a parade of whoever will follow him.

Agendas and doctrines are no more than useless rhetoric.....once you leave the lecture auditotiums and hit the streets, that's when school really begins.

I'm as angry as I am today, Censored, because I HAVE lived it. I grew up with Roy Rogers and Sky King................with 56 Chevys and Ovaltine........with IKE as well as Wolfman Jack. I've been blessed to have lived in a time that will never come this way again, and THAT............

...............THAT is why it sickens me to see what things have become.......and worse.........where we're headed, and yet STILL, not enough of us seem to want to do anything about it.

And "tv news?"...........Censored, if it WASN'T for FOX, there'd be no balance at all. It was largely CNN, NBC, and a MYRIAD of major big city papers that helped put that Muslim-Socialist in the White House, not to mention some able help with multiple and illegal voting registrations, poll intimidatons by the Black Panther Party and a ton of leftwing media bias in general.

..........................................................................................................why in hell did I even log IN this morning? I need some coffee and some fresh air........

Censored, if you had actually been reading my comments n these blogs you wold know I had actually been complaining about Obamassiah not being able to speak without a written script in front of him since the first days after his inauguration. Maybe I should contact Mr. Limbaugh and ask him for royalties for the statement?

As for what I had written to BAZOOKA, I was outlining what I have come to see is the heart of a true liberal. And yes YOU censored have taken up that flag elegantly here in these blogs. As we stand at the doorstep of liberal socialism, I watch with dread in my heart. I see government growing by leaps and bounds as those currently in control invent new and wondrous ways to take away our freedoms or oppress them with layers and layers of bureaucracy. Our national debt that was already high under Bush now is going to nearly TRIPLE with the vote of the congress and the swipe of a pen. But you , in your rosy little world, can only blame the past 8 years of Bush for the mess we're in. It's time Obama and his thieves took responsibility for their actions (or inactions) and LISTEN to the populace for once. As I see more and more of the central democrats start to turn against their "Hope for Change", as I see the national news media start to treat Obama as they did Bush, I can see that the government has truly stopped listening to us. All the Democrats care about is the absolute power they have and how much they can get away with before the next election cycle. When Joe Welfare realizes he hasn't gotten anything promised to him by this administration. When the former employees of the businesses run out of business because of the taxes being paid realize why they are on unemployment. When this country as a whole realize they were lied to from the beginning by Obama AND the democrats in office, it will be the beginning of the end for the Democrat party as we see it today. But the question is, Can we afford to sit back and watch it happen or do we stand up for what we believe in and shout down the liberal socialism that is spreading throughout our country today.

I agree Bazooka, I thought twice before I logged onto here. I knew when I did I was gonna lose my temper. But I feel better now. As far as deporting the liberals, alot of them are ACLU card packing lawyers, they'd figure out a loophole and we'd wind up on the wrong side of the fence.

Socialism doesn't work because you eventually run out of spending everyone else's money.

The ACLU (American Criminal Liberties Union) was............when you research it........FOUNDED by a pair of Communists, and that's a fact you can check.

The immediate concern right now should be the absolute disregard of our Constitution, as the government seeks more and more power, and they are doing it swiftly.

Thomas Jefferson said once that "Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work, and give to those who would not."

My favorite Jefferson quote is from 1802, when he said "The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants."

Jesus Buddha and all that. Your not getting socialism, your getting state capitalism like Mussolini. State Capitalism is not socialism it's fascism and fascism is from the far "right" of the isle. And the American Government has always been corrupt in one form or another. Again you two guys just can't admit it because it would destroy your patriotic fantasies.

And this statement has been going on throughout the history of America and still is:

"Democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work, and give to those who would not."

As in the rich using it's power to abuse the working class.

"Burn the Rich, Feed the Poor."

Yeah and if it wasn't for the working class masses there would be no industry. It's the working class that fill the jobs, if it wasn't for us the rich wouldn't be-able to create anything except stink. And yes I have gotten a job from a poor guy, you can trust them not to screw ya over like CEO. And you don't need to be a rich scumbag to own a business. Your generalizing about the poor,(drop outs and such) America has never had enough jobs to employ everyone so you are left with a fair amount of people needing assistance. Hmmmm, not to mention the fact that most Large American companies ship jobs out of country so said companies can make extra money off of nations that have no labor laws. I still don't understand why you people defend these corporations and bankers that consistently screw the little people over. Why give loyalty to an entity that would sooner stab you in the back then pay you fair wage? You people have strange ways. And I've said time and again that the re-pubes and demcraps are the same coin with different means of pissing on ya. Take it or leave it, join one or the other. Either way your screwed coming and going. And I don't blame just Bush2, I blame Reagan, Bush 1, Clinton all them whores for deregulations and shady schemes perpetrated to help the rich get richer and the poor stay poor. And it was the Dem's who told the citizens to spend, ya know, buy our way out of this "crisis".

But then again, you were in the military, so you got paid and housed even if you weren't doing anything. So I guess I can see why you got issues with the welfare system and the working class getting a fair deal. Speaking of military, there's a society that is very much like socialism. Strange? Bet ya didn't complain about it then.

And again, "State Capitalism", Mussolini style, is where we're headed, not Socialism. Look it up.

So, yeah! Ceo's heads on plates with apples in their mouths,like a pig roast. I'd bet that their meat is rich in fat and flavor. Sweat meats for the poor. We'd be getting rid of a large cross section of criminals by eating those scabby jerks not to mention giving some nourishment to needy children. Then after we've had our way with the Ceo's, we could go after the politicians. I'd bet that their meat is as tender as baby calf. Yummy, boil them in milk and honey.

Censored............if you can read, thank a teacher. If you can read in ENGLISH, thank a VETERAN.

The military is a harder life than you'll ever know and often requires the supreme sacrifice you don't have the courage to offer, or you'd already have enlisted.

Don't be derogatory about the military, slick. Without the guts and backbone of the veterans, YOU couldn't get on a net like this and run your mouth.

The only rights and freedoms you'd have are those the government ALLOWED you to have...........which is why I SUPPORT these "white boy clubs" as you call them.

It is why I endorse private gun ownership and OPPOSE this solialist-motivated government.

I've been stationed in countries where people are "owned" by their government, which is why I can RECOGNIZE what is afoot here today, where you could never.

What you think you have read, or heard in an auditorium, I have SEEN.

And don't give me that "oh poor them" routine. I grew up poor myself in a seedy neighborhood. One might have to grow up poor, but if you have any self-gumption, you don't have to stay that way.

Flipping burgers at a McDonald's won't make you rich, but it IS some money coming in while you're looking for something else.

Some peole think the government owes them a living just for being alive, and those of us you HAVE taken life by the horns, got out and busted butt over the decades, do not take kindly to having our tax dollars spent on those who WON'T take a job because it doesn't come with an air-conditioned office and a desk right off the bat.

What I say to the free-loaders............"You're no better than me....I dug ditches when I had to, and so can YOU."

When Ronald Reagan was governor of California, he had a BUNCH of welfare whiners out picking up trash along the roads, and other community projects. They didn't just hand out the money.

Quite naturally, he wasn't popular with the ACLU and other liberal factions, but the state DID run in the black.................hasn't since.

Like Sheriff Joe Arpaio of Arizona. 2 baloney sandwiches a day, they live in tents and are chained together out on the roads. ACLU doesn't like HIM either, but the taxpayers re-elect him by a landslide every time he runs.

It's not your fault if you grew up poor........it IS if you STAY that way. Entry level jobs don't start at 20 bucks an hour and come with a secretary, but there IS work out there. I've been laid off a few times in my lifetime by cutbacks, but never for long.

If a guy feels that sweeping a floor in a warehouse is "beneath his dignity", then helping him make his way through life with my tax dollars is "beneath" MINE! I've had that same broom in MY hands too.

And you said it yourself Censored...........it is IN FACT the middle class, who carry the load in this country.

Censored, true, the military didn't create free speech, the internet or your freedoms, but how in the hell do you think you still HAVE them today?

As far as retiremnt pay goes, it isn't nearly enough to pay for what we have sacrificed for you. Would you get up in the morning, pick up a rifle and risk YOUR spineless life for Uncle Sam?

Would you fight in chemical environments, sleep in ditches, in foul weather, cold C-rations and give up any normality of a family life, or the chance to get in on the ground floor of a well-paying DECENT-houred civilian career?

Are you willing to DIE if necessary, to preserve the liberties for your kids and grandkids (which hopefully you have neither of).

You haven't got a clue. You're just another piece of leftwing garbage, and incidently.........what have YOU ever done for our society? What contributions have YOU made, you gutless little commie?

If you haven't had the fortitude to stand up and fight for this country, or at least be WILLING to, if you haven't sacrificed for a couple of decades, and laid it all out for Uncle Sam.......don't EVEN try handing me that trash about what you think this country owes you...........

You're nothing. People like you are little more than parasites, spouting socialist propaganda they heard at some lecture or read in the Berkeley Barb.

Even at 61, and still dealing with Agent Orange medical problems (which according to you and your lord and savior Obama, I should pay for myself).......even at 61, I am going to stand and fight for the freedom of this country when it kicks off....and it will.

You go crawl off in a hole somewhere. If we don't win, maybe your new masters will give you a good dose of "what they owe you."

People like you make decent men want to vomit.

No Censored, there IS a difference between those who can't work and those who WON'T...those who make welfare a way of life and have learned every trick that exists, to milk the system. THOSE are the ones I'd cut off.

Tell you what.........if you don't think your freedoms have been insured by those with actual BACKBONE, when the drug war finally spills over the border, we'll just have them sit back, do NOTHING and let people like YOU get off your duffs and go take care of it. Surely you wouldn't be afraid to risk your hide if it came to it, would you?

A veteran has earned everything is compensated for. It's a hard, perilous job, constantly life-threatening, you don't get paid by the hour, there is NO overtime. You give up a LOT of freedoms in order to secure it for others, and if you don't like where you are or who you're working for......TOUGH!...........there are NO "2-week notices"

Why don't you take your ungrateful ass up to the V.A. and tell some of our brothers up there hobbling around from limbs that were blown off, and tell THEM they don't deserve any medical help because they "aren't contributing to society anymore."

I've got nothing more to say to you slick, and you've got nothing more to say to me that I'd be willing to listen to.

PS to twilcox............you might not have noticed it yet, but we already HAVE lowered our standards....this past November 4th.

I'm no longer even going to entertain that idea until these thieves in Washington tighten THEIR belts first! Nowhere on this planet is there more waste and corruption. I'm supposed to cut back on a few gallons of gas, and cut way back on taking my wife out to lunch.........use there new light bulbs that the government "approves" of.

Meanwhile, it's ok for Osama-Obama and his crew to continue giving BILLIONS to other countries, endless pork and executive payouts. The Treasury Secretary doesn't pay taxes, but wants to ride herd on where OUR tax dollars go. Pelosi wants a new jet, and knucklehead took TWO "Marine One" helicopters with him on his European trip, in ADDITION to Air Force One.

No...this "living more within our means" thing needs to start with those fat-cats in D.C. This isn't OUR fault, although they'd like to convince us that it IS. If they would honor their own oath of office, reel-in their billions of extravegance, and use our tax money as they're SUPPOSED to, that would cure this whole disease.

This SPEND-SPEND-SPEND crap is why we are where we are. Along with a surplus, Bush also inherited a WAR shortly after he took office, let's not forget that. However, if he would have taken some notes out of Reagan's playbook, the turmoil would have ended within a couple of weeks.

The world wouldn't have liked us....but what the hell, they don't like us ANYWAY unless we're filling their out-stretched hands with money and goods. Screw 'em............America first, and anyone who doesn't agree is free to go live somewhere else, under the hammer & sickle they so adore.

That's all I've got to say on this.

Better to die on our feet than to live on our knees, eh bro?

Nice post. I was asked not long ago by a friend, if I would actually turn my guns on our own "establishment."

Well.........41 years ago I spent 13 months in the jungles of Vietnam killing communists in the attempt to secure someone else's freedoms. Turned out to be a lost cause when the U.S. pulled out 8 years later and South Vietnam fell.

In 2005, I went back for a visit, all the way back to Khe Sanh and videotaped the entire trip. 3o years after the fall, with the communists in charge, the people of Vietnam are STILL poor, living in shacks throughout most of the country.. The only visible improvements are to the government buildings with their red stars flying eveywhere.

Back to 2009, I reminded my friend that if I could fight for someone ELSE'S freedom without real cause, it's a no-brainer NOW. This time it's for US.......I've got REASON now. The U.N. wants to put us under one flag, and Obama's team is trying to replace our Constitution with an all-socialist doctrine.

This isn't DaNang, Quang Tri, Phu Bi or Dong Ha now. It is Idaho, Texas, Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee. This is my wife, my son & daughter and my grand daughters......and there's no place else to go. We HAVE to "dig-in" and win this one.

The only difference this time, will be the enemy's appearance. Thet'll be taller and their eyes will be rounder, but as far as I'm concerned, they're still communists, only THIS time it's MY home being invaded.

There'll be one other difference too:

I won't have one hand tied behind my back, and when it's time to open fire or return fire, I won't have to wait for the "word" to come down the trench. There will be NO "political correctness" this time. No rules.

In 1967 I was issued an M-14. Springfield still makes that gun and I bought a new one last year, and even with the glasses I have to wear today, I can still hit what I aim it at both "up close and personal", and "out there a-ways."

The biggest difference though, is attitude. I've got serious attitude about being under seige by our own people. "Got no problem at all squeezing the trigger today"...I told my buddy......."It's MY home now, MY family, OUR freedom............if I EVER had a reason to lock and load, I've DAMNED sure got one now!"

Additionally, this on-going battle with Agent Orange brings yet another dimension because I won't be at all concerned about my own safety when the crap starts. Fast and loose, baby, I mean, what are they gonna do to me? What CAN they do?

Might not HAVE to wait for the revolt to start. when they make their move to start collecting our hardware, (which ALL dictatorships MUST do before they can invoke absolute rule), you guys will see the old Bazookaman on the 6 O'Clock News, film at 11.................."In Mountain Home today........"

When they come for mine................

Enlisting in the military isn't with the idea of getting killed for someone else, it is to provide a READY FORCE should something go down.

When Pearl Harbor was hit, we were definitely NOT prepared. Had the Japanese been a bit more organized, they could have invaded the States. We had to come from behind in a hurry, training men, shutting down car factories to build airplanes, train pilots, salvage ships at Pearl and build new ones. If it wasn't for our submarine force that carried the fight to the enemy, we might not have had the time to rebuild before getting invaded.

In THIS day and age, we do not have time to train new guys during an emergency. That's why we have to have a military trained and ready to respond, even as we write and read these blogs.

Reminds me of the law in California that allows you to carry a pistol on your front seat, but it has to be EMPTY, and the ammo locked in the trunk. If you are car-jacked down there, the bad guys aren't likely to give you time to get out, walk to the back, open your trunk, get your ammo and load it into your empty gun.

Case in point...suppose we didn't have a military, and the North Koreans fired this missile that everyone's talking about at US? Who would shoot it down? With what?

Like a true Democrat, Obama is making defense cuts. After the intitial nuke upload to take out Tehran if necessary, the first thing Reagan had to do was rebuild the military that Jimmy Carter had abandoned for HIS social programs.

We live in a dangerous world today. Say what you might about the Russians, but they have maintained a strong enough military, and a bad enough attitude, that no one in their right mind would fly an airliner into the Kremlin. The Russians don't put up with anything. There was a time when we didn't either.

No, I'm not in any great hurry to die, but I'd much rather go down fighting for a JUST cause, than lying in a hospital bed somewhere. And there is no more of a just cause than the preservation of our own freedom. Taking "Big Brother" out of the picture and putting things back to the structure this country was founded upon. However I felt about squeezing the trigger in 'Nam, I can JUSTIFY this one.

The biggest enemies we have, are in Washington D.C. The North Vietnamese were never a threat to Mountain Home. The Feds ARE.

It MEANS something this time. And I believe there WILL be a revolt. There almost HAS to be, and you're going to see the opening scenes on the 15th.

Twilcox, the Russians as they like to be known as now, over spent in their miltary for decades. They spent their future generations future buy building more missles, building more tanks, manufacturing more AK-47's. They failed to do anything for their people except get them ready for the next war to be fought. Luckily it never came down to that. Reagan looked them in the eye and dared them to try. The only reason the Nazis didn't take Russia in WW2 was because the Russians had more people willing to fight and more tanks and hardware to stop them. They never got out of that mentallity. Today you see what it got them.

The United States on the other hand has tried and tried to keep a standing Military ready to defend ourselves all the while we tried to take care of things at home.

To take up another point, has there ever been a battle that didn't need to be fought? Can you honestly say it would be a better world of Sadam was still the dictator of Iraq? If the Taliban was still in charge of Afghanistan? Can you say the world would not be safer if we finally got and killed Bin Laden? Tell the truth, you are just plain afraid to die. It doesn't matter the cause, you just won't give up your life for it. If you think the US military will roll through the streets of Mountain Home to take your weapons you're dead wrong. It has always been a soldiers perogative to say NO to an illegal order. To strip a person of their right to bear arms is a constitutional violation. Although there may be a few misguided people out there who might try, a majority of the people who fight for this country, democrat and republican, would sooner stand shoulder to shoulder with Bazooka. These men and women who fight for your right to live free, twilcox, are also people who swore to protect and defend the United States AND the Constitution. To be told to violate the costitution would be an agrregious offense punshible by court's martial.

For over 200 years the citizens of these United States have risen up to defend our country and to opress tyranny throughout the world. We have been the "go to" guys for the world. Now that we need to take care of things in the interest of our own country we are being touted as the great evil in the world. Don't ya love how they bite the hand that has fed them (literally)for oh so long.

I can't argue with twilcox on that one myself. Knowing what I know now, I wouldn't fight in Iraq either, or anyplace else we don't belong.

Had I still been young enough and on active duty when 9/11 hit, I WOULD have fought in Afghanistan if we were going after Bin Laden, as PAYBACK. But Bush pursued his daddy's unfinished business in Iraq, and God only knows where Bin Laden is now.

After my personal fight in Vietnam, I vowed to never raise my rifle again unless it involved US directly.

The only threat I see today is Washington D.C., and whoever tries to sneak across our borders. I don't harbor any resentment towards anyone not wanting to enlist today....because our troops aren't being used in tune with our Constitution. Fact is, when you have the absolute nuclear power we have, there is NO REASON to commit ground troops at all.......anywhere.

Where I take exception with nutcases like Censored, is when he degrades those who HAVE fought for Uncle Sam, got killed, maimed, wounded and laced with chemicals, then he has the friggin' nerve to say we aren't entitled to anything because we've retired now from protecting his butt.

Don't be fooled by the Russians. They may have fallen upon hard times, but they haven't dismantled any missiles, scrapped any nuclear subs or MIG's. Somebody over there still has his fingers on the buttons. They aren't stupid or nieve.

YAY...we finally have a blog where sensible, intelligent ideas can be debated without someone coming along and attacking us for it. We can now have a spirited debate over real issues without all the name calling. NOT ONCE in ANY blog did I EVER hear censored some up with am original thought or a plan that would help us out of the mess we're in. All the liberals know how to do is BLAME and NAME CALL. Just watch your TV news. It happens every day.

Bazooka there are places all over this earth where there is unfinished business. I'm thinking before long we will be back in force in Korea to finish up that mess that to this day is still going on. I agree that Bush W was cleaning up for his dad. Right or wrong it got done and it was done with support from congress. I persoanlly feel that if we're going to commit our sons and daughters to war then we need to have the WIN IT ALL mentality. We need to wade into Afghanistan with both fist swinging and let what's left of the Taliban have it full force. We need to tell Pakistan to get to helping or get out of the way. We need to start at one end of that mountain range and bomb it flat to the other end. When all is said and done and we get our boys and girls home then as they leave the military we ask them to work a couple years on the borders as civilian advisors to the Border Patrol. Use what they learned in war to COMBAT what is going on down south. It's not that much different really is it? An armed force murdering and pillaging, smuggling. Sounds alot like aAfghanistan right now.

We still need to get the bums off welfare. It's not a lifestyle, it's a hand UP. Put them to work doing the things that need to get done. Mowing all that grass in the parks in DC would be a good start. Repair our nations highways that were built by men working under the Civilian Conservation Corps, Fixing government buildings. Maintaining our national parks and such. Wanna pump money into the economy? Don't give it to banks that lend it back and forth between themselves or give it to their CEO's ofr those lavish trips. Give it to ME and BAZOOKA and TWILCOX and OM and Ken and Kim. Give us a few extra bucks to spread around. Before long you will see things pick up. Fix the housing market be deflating over priced homes. Give young people just starting out a chance to make it. Very few people in their 20's can afford $150,000 for a house but that's what they are going for around here. Give those facing forclosure a chance to refinance at a better interest rate against the REAL value of their homes. Let them start fresh and give them HOPE. Isn't that waht Obamassiah is all about...HOPE. I haven't had any for a couple months now. Will a few of the banks fold over this..probably..too bad...like lawyers there's too many of them anyways. To hell with GM and Chrysler. Look at history and see how many car manufacturers there were 50 years ago. DeSoto, Hudson, all gone. WHy..they couldn't keep up. Look at Toyota and Honda. Japanese in name only. Most of their cars are more American than GM anyways. And on that note, I don't want the governemnt backing up ANY warranties when these car makers fold. Where is the money coming from? Who will do the work. Charge foreign nations high tariffs to purchase things in the United States. We can't even own land in Mexico but we sell our very souls to China DAILY. Put comapnies that export things to here on even fotting with American manufacturers. If they charge us $20 per item when we send it there, they get charged the same when their stuff gets here. Fair is fair.

Maybe I'm all wrong. Maybe my ideals are all wrong. Maybe I AM an atrophied mutant(?) isn't that an oxymoron? But I feel that unless we make changes that benefit US we are truly screwed. Just look at what they are trying to do to the Freedom Tower. a name change just so we won't piss off foreign countries like China when they want to rent 3 floors of the building. WHO CARES, it was our country attacked we have the right to call it anything we want and they can damn well like it or they can stay OUT.

WOW...quite the soapbox there. And I bet censored can't stay away like he promised. Too much for him, he may explode...lol. Night all

Coming back to the original topic, it boils down to a rather reasonable concept. The fact that we trust market forces over government (discretionary) actions. any government (good or bad) will necessary have errors in judgment. A good decision today may not be a good decision tomorrow. That is the quandary that faces us all.

you do know that appearing to be so radical does not help your credibility. Facts and historical data help your cause alot more than this over-the-top gossip-worthy rhetoric.

For example, the Reagan admin. put the nation into debt like no other. In terms of percentage (before versus after), him and his advisers started the current trend of borrowing. there was some sound logic behind it but lack of foresight made it worse.

McCain would have faced the same issue. The grave was dug already. He would have done things differently of course. There is no saying that he would not have pushed a stimulus plan that, in my opinion is flawed. Shortly stated, it has the wrong focus. We need to not focus on corporations and the top of the food chain but rather the bottom. Without food, water, shelter, energy, education and those who provide it the rest is meaningless. If we reward those who can provide those services, then we lay the proper groundwork.

Lets go back to grade school. Was being the bully your thing? Can you handle just being yourself and not needing to be feared by others? You can lie to yourself but no country on earth would take us on now in a full scale war. Now if you can give concrete data that says otherwise I will listen. No gossip, no rhetoric, only sound data.

The Berlin Wall did not come down because big bad America told them to. I know a native German and can speak German myself so put that fib away for someone else.

Clinton, he had some good moments and some not so. The economy did well but he inherited some of that success from the first Bush. I dont care about party lines. I just like to try to let others see that there is more than one side to every story.

Thats fine. I just view bullies as insecure idiots. Those who need to demonstrate their violent tendencies generally have nothing else to offer anyone. I would like to be known for helping my family and my community through smarts and clear logic. Flexing my muscle just means that I am angry and cant think of a better way to express an idea.

Berlin, I am not the final authority but the Soviet influence was virtually nonexistent by that time. Watch a movie called, the lives of others, and you will see. It is not completely factual but I know native Germans and they view it as highly accurate.

If the world boiled down to all out anarchy, I could survive. I lived on the streets once and made the adjustments that I needed to survive. I did not go to a mission, call home and ask for someone to bail me out. I just toughed it out until the right opportunity came out.

We need folks like you to know that we are not completely off our rocker. It takes all types to make the world go around.

No argument there, and there should never be a last word in diplomacy, but sometimes in life it becomes pointless, and there is a limit to how many times a man can turn his cheek.

How does that song go?...."If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything."

I see us going down a very bad road and quickly coming to a dead end, where we will have to turn around and make the eternal decision all men in all times must eventually make. To endure oppression, or to resist. I intend to be there "in the finest tradition."

Doesn't sound right to me either............not in Idaho, anyway.

Keep in mind though, that the Census is now handled by the White House with the "able assistance" of ACORN, so I don't think I'd truct ANY numbers they come up with........in the future, anyway.

I dont know about ACORN but it would seem that society cant deal with being poor or just simply not having all of its demands met. Some will be poor and some will not. Having government always make their life better does not send the right message. We could belabour this point but I feel that we both agree that redistributing the wealth (or debt as it may be) does not work in the long run.

He does have his enlightened moments doesn't he Bazooka. I still feel there is hope. If we can get hime to listen to Hannity maybe there will be hope.

I hear a lot of people running around, almost CELEBRATING that the DOW is coming up a little......recovery is on the way....etc.

To me, it's like if American Express or VISA, were to suddenly extend your credit limit. You go out and by a new boat, or 52-inch TV or something else like that. Then you kick back and celebrate that "Life is getting GOOD" again..........

But guess what?.........somewhere down the road, that STILL has to be paid for. Now we're looking down the barrel at FOUR trillion....to be passed down to our kids and grandkids. Reminds me, at SOME point, Obama is gonna have to quit blaming Bush for the ONE trillion he just inherited, and start taking some responsibility for the FOUR trillion that HE and his cohorts have us locked into.

All the earmarks that "weren't going to happen" if HE was elected. All the lobbyists that would "cease to exist" if he were elected. And you don't have to be a math major to see through those "tax cuts for 95% of Americans"..........where does he think the MONEY will come from to PAY for all of this massive spending? Does he want us to believe that corporate tax alone is going to pay for this 4 trillion?

Rest assured, I will be at the front steps of the Capitol Wednesday. There will be a MASSIVE statement made all over this country, encompassing over 350 cities.

Haven't heard of THAT one. I don't know if it would fly, because even as screwed up as the government is, I don't think even THEY could be blamed for the climate. They aren't THAT powerful yet. They THINK they're "God" but they aren't!

If ANYTHING, they should be sued for evey dollar they've taken illegally from every taxpayer.

Coming out of California, it almost HAS to be goofy. On the other hand, the FEDS shouldn't be allowed to sue ANYBODY. They are too powerful as it is.

If the people in this country ever unitedly figure out the TRUTH of the tax system, and where all their money goes, it'll be very very clear "WHO ought to be suing WHO!"

As we speak, the Federal Reserve and their illegitimate children of the IRS, are reportedly getting just a bit nervous about this upcoming Wednesday. While tax protests on April 15th are not uncommon, it has never taken on the magnitude that is has now. I don't think this is going to go away either, until next year. Not this time. Joe the Plumber has become an icon and has a huge grass roots movement growing by leaps and bounds.

The IRS KNOWS they are in trouble. People are getting educated and no longer just "taking their word for it" like they used to. When enough people stop watching and listening to the media, and actually take the time to READ what the laws say and DON'T say..............well, I just hope I live long enough to see it, and be a part of it!

It will be the most honorable and JUSTLY thing the American people have done since World War II.

The "tax laws" were MEANT to be massive and confusing. Most people would rather just take the government's word for it, than take the time and spend the effort to look these things up.

Fact is, thr IRS lives off of trust and bluff........that they WON'T be found out. They have also been beaten in court as well, and inside word has it that they are VERY concerned that the "tea party" THIS year, is going to lead to bigger things..............no LEGITIMATE organization would be concerned at all.

"Joe the Plumber" didn't dry up and go away after the election. He was dead serious and has started his own website, that has garnered huge support so far, beginning with this nationwide teas party.

It's supposed to rain Wednesday, but that isn't going to stop ME! That's what umbrellas are for.

61 years.........I never thought I'd be part of a protest, but I can't think of a more just reason!

Twil' old buddy...........do a little digging and you'll find that the IRS does NOT have a legitimate purpose, because it Constitutionally shouldn't exist. It was started in Puerto Rico as a shill for the Federal Reserve, which isn't "federal" at all.

The tax system in this country is no more American than Fidel Castro is. Our country was founded on a Tariff basis. There is no law that requires you to pay an income tax, or even a statute anyway that says you have to file a return. And no IRS agent can show you one.

Can you get into trouble if you don't file? Of course you can, but it isn't right, and if enough Americans ever figure that out, the IRS will be toppled like a deck of cards.

The 16th Amendment. Look at it closely, then look at the amendments that come before and after it. Notice anything MISSING in the 16th?

Come back on the blog and tell me what you see....or DON'T see.

Incidently, if you've ever gotten any kind of notice from these thieves, two things will become apparent:

1. They are never signed

2. If they ARE, it is just a "rubber-stamp."

There's a reason for that.

A flat/fair tax would provide everything we needed. What it would NOT do, is provide all of these pet-pork projects, and foreign aid.

Congress would be FORCED to tighten their belts along with the rest of us.

Without the horrific spending of our government, we wouldn't have a problem at all, and this government KEEPS growing...more and more committees to study this, that and the other.

Let THEM set the example.....but no....oh no...............it's all OUR fault..

....actually it IS!.........when you keep voting the same crooks right back into office...........

They need to be tossed out, twil.........every damned one of them, regardless of party, and start with a clean slate. There simply is no other way.

Yes, we come from similar backgrounds. We never had anything either, yet my dad worked his butt off.

I've worked hard all my life too, which is why I resent this "spreading the wealth" thing for the bums who have made welfare a way of life and WON'T work.

Well, enough on that right now.........I've got a protest to march in! 61 years........who'd have ever thought?......

It's "Chapter II" of this story that I'm gearing up for, now. Later.

But you know, if they had taken the time to READ what they signed before they signed it....................well, why go into it.........like one of the signs said yesterday, "We'll keep our guns, money and religion", Obama can have the change!"