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Obama: "Washington Feels As Broken As It Did Four Years Ago"Posted Sunday, July 15, 2012, at 1:12 PM
Spend More Time In DC...Doing YOUR Job---That Could Be A Start!
"He says he's most frustrated by the inability "to change the atmosphere" in the nation's capital "to reflect the decency and common sense of ordinary people" who want their leaders to solve problems."
"Common Sense" and "ordinary people" must mean different things to the people in DC.
We have 15-16 trillion dollars in National Debt.
We have Obamacare.
We are going to increase the Medicaid budget (by state).
There are few to no jobs (unless you go to work for the IRS to enforce the Obamacare tax).
Insurance and pharmacy have not faced reform and will not face reform.
Middle class to pay higher taxes.
For those of you who would like to watch the debt in real time, here is a link: (WARNING-IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH "COMMON SENSE"---THIS COULD CAUSE PTSD. VIEW AT YOUR OWN RISK!)
And now, for a glimpse of where we were, where we are and where we are going:
Yep, "change you can believe in." If you are a complete and total idiot! What do the folks in DC know about "ordinary people?" Obama's only concerns are not having a comfortable bed to sleep in and sub-par food while he collects a paycheck to run the country...but is on the road for re-election.
PRICELESS!!!
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Str8 Talk  - Archives - Blog RSS feed ![[Feed icon]](http://www.mountainhomenews.com/images/icons/feed-icon-14x14.png){kind=icon} - Comments RSS feed - Send email to Tracy Lauric - Login I have lived in Mountain Home for over 11 years now. I love to be outdoors in wide open spaces (as long as it does not involve camping...in a tent and an out house). I dislike Government waste/abuse of tax dollars and "sky is the limit" spending by those that we elect to represent "us." I value free speech when what is stated is factual (as opposed to lies, gossip and un-truths). I love the Chicago White Sox (I never said I was perfect) and the Broncos are okay too! I am 38 years old and married to a guy who is active duty USAF (and a Cubs fan...he is the "perfect" one). I am anti-nuclear and against further desecration of our planet with waste that we can do little to nothing with. If you dislike blunt, this is not the blog for you. Enjoy!
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It is going to be interesting to see who comes after Reid. Especially after the success of Governor Brian Sandoval. The conservative has made strides in cutting government expenses and moving the state away from being completely dependent on tourism/gambling/drinking/prostitution. Our next Senator would be wise to follow in his footsteps. Liberals have started to see the light.
I will end this tirade with this one. The point is this, using Nevada as one's shining example of the US economy is flawed. Nevada is a unique state. When one talks about the national economy, using Nevada's extremes as landmarks is short-sighted. Nevada shares little with most of the other 50 states. The better example is California. California has infinitely more regulation than Nevada. California has potential to be so much more. It has potential that Nevada simply does not have and probably never will. The state is bankrupt and only has itself to blame. Nevada made the tough decisions in cutting its government workforce and consolidating offices while California has not.
Zook,
I explained the reasons for Nevada's high unemployment rate and high foreclosure rates above.
My colleague is a former hay farmer from Paradise Valley, Nevada. One does not get more down home or rural than that.
Nevada's boom was fueled by low home prices in the 90's and early 2000's and the proximity to Southern California (Vegas and Pahrump) and the Bay Area (Reno). Rich and overextended Californians and Arizonans decided to move to Vegas. Why would they do that? No state income tax, no inheritance tax on the state level, and the least government per capita in the West by a resounding margin.
The jobs that pushed Nevada's unemployment rate to about 3% just before the recession were dependent on outsiders buying homes and spending on tourism. Now stop and think a bit. When those dollars dry up, what do you think is going to happen? As I hope you will deduce, the construction jobs and tourism dried up. Those two sectors were (and still are) the two largest in the Nevada economy by a solid margin. Nevada is not an agricultural state. Nor does it have the knowledge industries that one finds in California or Idaho.
Someone on here is bound to chime in about Yucca Mountain or the absence of solar polar in desolate Southern Nevada. The problem with those arguments is that Yucca Mountain would only produce 100 short term jobs. 100 jobs would not move the meter enough to even warrant attention. Second, the solar fields that sound so great are not as efficient as liberals would like to think. There is a reason that the only ones in existence are right next to populated areas. Their inefficiency is not connected to regulation.
Nevada's lack of agriculture comes back to it being dry lake bed. 70% of the state was known as Lake Lahontan as recently 9000 years ago. That is why the soil is salty and unusable for the most part. Combine that with low rainfall and high winds, it is no wonder that there is so much open space that has no ag potential.
Zook,
My colleague has a very intimate, detailed, and unbiased knowledge of Nevada's economy. He is not just some guy writing papers as you would like to assume. When he says that Nevada has low taxes and less government presence, it can be verified. It is not just armchair opinion.
Zook, if Obama leads in the women's vote, it's because many women traditionally vote Democratic, not because Obama is "charming and cute". Why women vote more Democratic than men I'm not sure. I think it may have something to do with women being more compassionate and sympathetic. This compassionate nature we women have leads many women to believe that no one should be better off than anyone else. We all should be equal and no one should ever suffer. Well, I'm a woman and I know that that philosophy is not realistic. I vote Republican because I believe that everyone should have the opportunity to become successful in this country, not given free rides or handouts. That creates a dependency status that is very damaging to self-esteem. But, I don't know, most women I talk to are very concerned with how much food and fuel has sky-rocketed the last four years. I think women are smarter than you think, and know that something is horribly wrong with the system.
And as for "charming and cute", not that it matters to me, but either Romney or Ryan is way better looking and charismatic than Obama could be on a good day.
Love it clam chowder.
I don't comment much but I have been reading for years and I think I found my favorite quote from bazookaman:
"If you voted for Obama in 2008 to prove you weren't racist......you need to vote for someone else in 2012 to prove you aren't stupid."
LOL!!! Amen brother!!
Last one. I have to quit this distraction.
My recent posts (or mini-novels) are not meant to say that we should not care about regulation (or the tidal wave of it). It is to say that we should not focus all of our energy on that. Lower taxes, lower govt. spending, and promoting local production are just some of the other points that need to be addressed.
Finally, by assuming that politicians are the only decision makers in the labor markets we elevate them to a place that they do not deserve. As a conservative, why would any of you want to give politicians more credit than they deserve. You want them out of your life, do you not? By making them more important than they really are, we empower them. We let them know that we are shirking responsibility and leaving it to them to perform miracles. Miracles that will not happen. They will fail, they will make excuses, and we will buy into them depending on if they are the on the side of the fence that we prefer. Overall, the labor markets are not under the complete control of politicians and by believing that, we are simply pawning off our collective responsibility.
Sorry, forgot to include this on the last one.
The point is that if we are truly going to understand the issue, job creation, we have to look at the whole picture. Job creation is not just a function of regulation or lack there of. Other factors are part of the puzzle. Customer demand, taxes, wages, etc. all go into the decision to hire. Ask any business owner if customers matter. If you have no revenue, who cares about the rest. Statistically and factually, it can be proven that demand/wages are part of the picture. Tunnel vision works for some but not me. Why not attack the issue from all fronts. Taxes (especially the dreaded payroll taxes) and increasing demand are equally important.
People use Nevada as their prime example when they talk about poor economic performance. Nevada is a very unique state. It is singular to itself in a lot of ways. Besides Alaska, it has the lowest agricultural output of any state. The limited agriculture is limited to areas that are fairly remote therefore making transport costs go higher. Finally, only certain crops can grow here due to salty soil, low rainfall, and short growing seasons. There is absolutely no timber production. This forces the hand of those who live here to take on other business ventures. Overall, Nevada is not the best sample to use if we are wanting to show the health of the national economy.
Nevada's high unemployment is not due to regulation. I have a colleague who works for the Governor's Office. He recruits businesses to come to Nevada. This person has a Masters in Economics as well so he is no idiot. They sell businesses on the fact that Nevada is the 2nd least taxed state in the union. They also have the second fewest government units per capita. Number of government units and amount of regulation are closely related.
Nevada was hit hardest by the latest recession. Why? First, the jobs were in fields that inherently volatile. Tourism and new home construction. These fields are reliant on disposable income from outsiders. 60% of all income earned in the state leaves the state within six months. That metric was even higher before the recession. Nevadans are the not business owners. Finally, when one's economy is dominated by tourism and construction it is bound to come crashing down. These fields are largely made up of low skill workers that are easily replaceable. As of 2010, 50% of all jobs in Nevada demanded six months of training or less. It is no wonder then that once the crash hit these low skill workers had no better options and were stuck. Again, no regulations here.
So why has it not recovered? Hmmm... could it be that Nevada has not moved away from its dependence on tourism? Actually, the evidence says that is the answer. There are signs that they are getting away from that but as of yet that is still the case. Lack of customer demand leads the way. Who cares about regulation if you have no customers? Finally, casinos and mines (the two biggest sectors in the state and have always been) pretty much get their way here. I have no issue with that but it is the truth. Ask anyone that lives in Northern Nevada about that.
Americans assume that there is 100% statistical correlation between political decisions and economic performance. To explain this a bit further, let me explain what correlation is.
Economic performance is the end result. We call it the dependent variable. It depends on the changes in contributing factors. In this case, political decisions are the contributing factor or independent variable. The assumption of those on here and most Americans is that changes in economic performance can be solely explained by changes in political decision making.
Political decision making coming in the form of taxes/subsidies, laws/regulations, or stimuli. By only considering political decisions, we ignore other factors such as individual decisions, imports/exports, and the efficiency of those participating in the economy.
Factually, there is not 100% correlation between economic performance and political decisions. Second, it is insulting to the people to think this. If all that matters in the economy is the whims of self-absorbed, short-sighted politicians then why even bother trying to better oneself. Third, if you really do believe that the economy is simply the puppet of politicians then it seems weird that a conservative would vote for someone who wants to tinker with the economy. Romney is not going to completely hands off. By complaining about Obama and his lackluster record, you are implying that someone could do it better. Why do you want them tinkering at all?
Take Nevada for example. The easy explanation for the high unemployment is that Harry Reid and the Federal Government have choked out economic development with regulations and taxes. That is the explanation for someone who knows next to nothing.
First, Nevada has the fewest amount of government units per capita in the Union. It also has some of the lowest government expenditures in the nation. This was the case before and after the latest recession. One bubble burst.
Two, there are inherent realities that the state faces. These realities stay true no matter who is in office. First, only one area receives more than 9 inches of rain per year and that is the relatively remote area of Jarbidge. Second, the soil is salty. That is another reason for the low agricultural output. Third and finally, the state is the third windiest in the union based on daily average wind speed. Wind adds to the evaporation that already occurs from high temperatures and salty soil. These realities are why the state possesses little of the most stable industry: agriculture.
Three, Nevada is one of the lowest tax states in the union. This is from a business and consumer standpoint.
So there are very low taxes and less government presence/regulation than any other Western State and so why the high unemployment, high foreclosure rate, and low in-migration? Can't blame it on government or relatively high taxes. Give you a hint, the answer in terms of statistical analysis comes in the form of less disposable income. Reno and Las Vegas are dependent on the disposable income of the nation. Less disposable income tied in with lower consumer demand for gambling/drinking/prostitution/resorts is where the answer lies.
History has a way of repeating itself, if we don't learn the lesson the first time.
I am going to vote in the Missouri Primary today.
Imagine that someone is driving their car down the road. They have direct, 100% control over their actions and the speed that they travel. Intent has a 100% correlation with the result. Political actions and the performance of the economy/job market are not 100% correlated. That is a fact that every economist and politician that has ever existed can attest to.
Coming back to the person driving the car, the politician acts as someone who indirectly tries to get the person to drive faster. They may or may not react as the politician wants. Simply stated, the politician is not at the helm and is at the mercy of those who really make the meaningful decisions.
Regulation is a problem but more goes into the hiring process than just that. The latest poor job market has many culprits. I am heavily critical of regulation. However, as an economist I am not naive enough to put all my eggs in that basket. Focusing solely on that realm empowers the politician. Why do you want to empower them?
Zook,
You are completely wrong about the jobs and the President's impact on that front. Just ask yourself, what do they do to affect the job market? No generalities, no rhetoric, no gossip. Only concrete, quantifiable examples. After you furnish those, we can discuss how they actually do affect everybody not just a few. You are yet another example of those who give politicians too much credit. By saying that they cause all the problems, you are in effect saying that they can be the heroes to fix them all. By elevating them, you propagate the promises that they routinely peddle and the slick salesmen ways.
ZOOK.....GOOD SCENARIO......NOW I AM GOING TO PLAY THE DEVILS ADVOCATE
The RM(MC CONNAL) say's ...i dont care what bingham wants he's got no pull here and i dont like that guy. AND the chief of supply(BANHEOR)SAYS I aint bucking the boss. Now do they get a pass by the DCO?(THE AMERICAN CITIZEN) OR do they also shoulder a great deal of responsibility??
THE EAGLE SOARS WHEN WE WORK TOGETHER
I coached the base basketball team for years.We beat every college around here, yes we were smaller but we had something they didnt have, we played together.You wanted to be and individual you needed to play for someone else.You could be a star within the group and what we were trying to do.Results was outstanding and we were well respected and quite a few of those kids went on to college and all retired who stayed in at least master more like senior and chief that included the females.Th fruit is in the pudding.....LATER
ZOOK......you are bundling,some of what you stated is right some is not.some was done with congress's consent some not.Your house depreciating has nothing to do with the president.TRY our free market and a recession .GET this IDAHO power got a 6.1 % raise,my retirement check didnt go up......did yours?? nOW MOST WOULD SAY THAT IS NOT A BIG impact yes it is and that does affect the depreciation of your house.As quite as it's kept there are places that have not been as impacted by the housing crash.
ALL OF THIS ADMINISTRATION POLCIE'S ARE NOT FAILURES.WHY WOULD ANYONE THINK YOU COULD TURN A DECADE OR MORE OF BAD POLICY AROUND IN 3 YRS.wE NEED TO GET OUR HEADS OUT OF THE RIGHT NOW SYNDROME........my opinion.
TWILL....I couldnt agree more.
We lose our way when we expect the electing of a president to be an earth shaking event. Obama and Romney are just individuals. Their influence takes time to filter down to the average individual. The decisions that really affect the average individual directly and predictably are the ones made at home or locally. We are elevating these men to a status that they do not deserve. Hero worship is for those who can not think or act for themselves. Overall, lets stop giving the candidates a head so big that they can not fit through a door.
PROFILING GETS INNOCENT PEOPLE KILLED AND HAS........so I assume that is ok with you as long as you are not the one being profiled OR killed.BUCKSHOT the comment at the beginning of your post was as sarcastic as you can get.I was not arguing about what illegals do I stated what happens to people for NO reason and that due process is the law of the land and when not followed it deminishes us all.FUNNY thing when convenient we consider other countries use of things otherwise we grudgingly scream we do it our way we are Americans.
I am sure gov. ROMNEY WILL SOLVE ALL OF OUR PROBLEMS.
I dont consider a child having and arresst record for no reason a good thing for anybody,him or us. Life is hard enough without one and that has nothing to do with feelings.IT does speak to upward mobility.I dont dought for a moment the things you state have happened to your relatives and maybe if the great sheriff there spent more time policing rather than politiking he could help cut down on that.Also the fed needs to prosecute, jail and deport like yesterday ,instead we are playing the bureacratic garbage that holds up the works.EVERYONE SHARES A PART OF THIS...and you know whats sad they all know it and so do you and I.
CALM DOWN BUCKSHOT....ALL I GAVE WAS ANOTHER PERSPECTIVE THAT IS ALL.BESIDES I know that no matter what this president does it is wrong for you or in this case not enough.IT doesnt bother me because I already know how you feel.I am sure you have your ID at ALL TIMES ME.SOMTIMES I FORGET MINE AND HAVE TO TURN AROUND AND COME BACK AND GET IT.I have a friend a beautifull woman who lives in arizona owned a home there,was raisung her children there was happy there she MOVED. SHE SAID SHE WAS TIRED OF BEING HARRASED,,,,,YOU SEE SHE IS A NATIVE AMERICAN WHO COULD EASILY BE mistaken as hispanic,She said she wasnt going to have her children degraded.She herself had already been harrased several times.IS that right????How long before they jail her oldest BECAUSE HE DOESNT HAVE HIS PAPERS ON HIM.Then he has and arrest record for no reason.Those things hurt people later in life.LIKE JOBS,COLLEGE ADMISSION SOME PROFFESSIONS ETC.
YOU WERENT HERE when I stated my stand so I will say it again......... you enter the country illegaly you are illegal and have broken the law therefor you get deported.IT'S cut and dry for me........I am not talking about that I am talking about profiling etc....And yes IF you commit a crime here you do the time and Then we send back....I hope that clearify's it for you.I DONT THINK THAT IS A LIBERAL STAND BUT IT IS MINE.
Actively seeking out......AND JUST HOW SHOULD WE GO ABOUT THAT????The reason I ask is because we are not talking about across the board because if we were, every body in this country would be subject to papers please,everybody to include YOU.
HOW come you didnt comment on the private prison business,or the lack of comprehensive policy from our congress and senate.Theres the problem.A rock and a hard spot for some of them.
ICE was and example ,and arizona is not the only ones on the border.OH it matters we have to keep the pay prisons open,cant loose jobs,etc and stock holders need to make money on there investment.They will be locking people up,they will deport some people who shouldnt be, there will be as usuall some who feel that is ok.IT'S not happening to them.Wonder how you would feel walking the streets afraid that someone can come up to you for no apparent reason other than you are blond and blue eyed ,you dont have your wallet and you wind up in jail.And that is a daily thing 24/7 talk about stress,I can appreciate that feeling.AND YOU ARE A BORN AMERICAN CITZEN who has served his country faithfully do you think just maybe you would be angry.........food for thought.
BUCKSHOT.....THERE HAVE BEEN GAINS IN THE IMMIGRATION FIGHT.THE PROBLEM IS NOBODY HAS GUTS ENOUGH TO SIT DOWN AND GET A COHERENT POLICY ON IT,because we are to busy playing with the lobbyist such as the private lockup industry which has vertually made millions off of the immigration policy,AND WOULD NOT BE SURVIVING TODAY IF IT WERE NOT FOR ICE.Then we have the farm lobby and it goes on and on.IT'S nice to drop it at the presidents door step but it's not real.I DID NOT KNOW the administration rules cost more and if so how did we get to that cost analysis?? AS a person who has been in business ,I found that if I planned I could make most regulations work for me,so I have to consider that some feel that any regulation is and imposition.
TWILL.... you are right but if you are going to do it that is all part of it.I worked far more hours for myself than I ever did in the military.IT was trying and it was hard......reward was I was doing it for ME.....
When we talk regulation, a lot of people get on the sanctimonious bandwagon. It is all about government trying to tell them what to do. While I have no issue with that, I find that the largest consequence to regulation is the time, energy, and money spent trying to figure it out. It may be written down but that does not mean that it is clear and coherent. Think of all the time that new business owners spend trying to figure out the maze of regulation and how to navigate it.
WH67......I HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH LESS REGS,AND ENFORCE WHATS THERE.I asked the question because things get chewed up in the how it's reported.IT's pretty well shown based on buckshot's research OBAMA admin doesnt have a monoply on this garbage.The military guys here are familar with this reg thing it is never ending and truly wastefull.I was part of several maintenance managment reviews the trade off.s on just what goes in the tech orders is a trip.Anyhow at least we get to the bottom of it.
This is typical of the selfperpetuating beauracecy.I would bet every agaency does it's own review and of course that requires a confrence.....vegas anyone??????? AND WE PAY THEM.
Lamont,
As near as I can tell, the regulations listed on this site are newly proposed regulations. Having said that, I suspect many may be changes to an existing rule or regulation that is deemed necessary due to a technological advancement or catastrophic failure of some kind. (For example, there are several about air worthiness of a variety of helicopters.) Others are just as certainly efforts by agency faithful to establish a broader budget or basis for authority. (And I've seen this happen more often than I would care to admit.)
Regardless of their purpose and whether they are new regulations, or modifications to existing regulations, each one that is prepared, published and adopted will consume significant resources on the part of private businesses and state and local governments to identify whether the regulation impacts them and if so, determine what they will have to do in order to come into compliance.
It seems to me that an already struggling economy might be better served dealing with the devils we know versus creating new demons.
wh67....I asked this question before so I will try again......how many supercide other regs,how many modify present ones ,how many are brand new no previous reg in that area.I think the answer to those question give us a more realistic look at the regulation thing.What say you???
http://www.regulations.gov/#!home;tab=se...
6,293 new regulations posted in the last 90 days.
That's a touch shy of 70 per day.
BUCKSHOT.......I dont think you did but If you feel you did that's fine.I am not going to debate symantics.There are issues and more than on way to view them.
Zook.......iv got to play tonight also,this one is in a really nice setting 36th st bistro,,,,,,we play in the nursery among the plant and flowers it is great.I love doing this gig.....the only thing i dont like is it can get warm out there we play from 5.30 --8 pm.well got to run things to do ........later
BUCKSHOT......YOUR disertation was fine but you did not address any of the things I had addressed to zook.YOU took the oppertunity to attempt to tell me the conservative doctrine,iI have heard it I was not talking to those issues.I WILL ADDRESS THIS... IF YOU WERE NOT SO EXCLUSIONARY YOUR NUMBERS WOULD BE MORE REFLECTIVE OF THE GENERAL POPULATION OF THE COUNTRY AND THEY ARE NOT.I did not play any race card,I dont have to the actions of the right and it's rehetoric speaks for itself.I make a statement about black college grads and you tell me about on the backs of......hello!Now there could be some reason's that are viable for the unemployment rate such as.....degrees not in needed fields ,location,and some others .I may not have explored that but I sure as heck thought about it.
The numbers on food stamps are reflective of the recession and you know it and so are some other things so how goes the economy goes those programs.The rational of opening a business has merit but the average business that is opened has less than 50 employees and therefore are not impacted by most of the changes you imply.FUNNY THING WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT 8,000 NEW REGS I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYONE LIST THEM.THE things you speak of in business you know as well as I do those things are fluid and must be estimated every year because the cost changes every year,be it insurance ,workers comp,social sec matching funds etc my 941"s were never the same year after year all part of the cost and gamble of doing business.
I think you would like to feel the racial divide is over I WISH IT WERE but it's not.We have truly made progress but we still see things differently and the point about kids singing about OBAMA is partly case in point.We sing about DAVIE CROCKETT so what is the problem???
From where I sit the president had not greater or lesser responsibilty to unite the country than anyone else.I think he had his hands full doing what he had to do.FROM the time of the incident in MASS the uniting was not going to happen.WHY??? SOME of us know about being in your own neighborhood and people not believing you live there or moving when you buy there.HE handled the incident wrong by saying anything at all and the media acted like he should have solved it both were wrong.From that point on forget it.This issue has to be solved at you and I level OTHERWISE IT DOESNT GET SOLVED.WE are fortunate for the most part here we are still for most at the live and let live level we also get to know each other on a more intimate plain that usually helps human relations,understanding is easier to get,if you listen to each other.That is one reason why some of us stayed here.WE arnt perfect here and never have been but we seem to learn a tad bit faster,both sides........have a good one later
Very true Buckshot. Well stated. Stay cool!
JUST ONCE IT WOULD BE NICE NOT TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH RIGHT WING TALKING POINTS VERBATIM.....NEVER SEEM TO DEAL WITH THE MEAT OF ANYTHING AND YES IT COMES OFF AS A BLIND AS YOU SAY INDOCTRINATION...
IF the only answer to whats going on is right wing answers with ALL the blame on the left...we sure have some policy's that are not left wing that are biting us in the butt how did that happen????? yOU SPEAK OF BLIND ALLEGIANCE YET THAT IS EXACTLY WERE YOUR AT......I SAID IT BEFORE I dont care about were he put his money as a private citizen I am speaking of leadership and were his money is is and indicator of how he see's or doesnt see the nation he wants to lead.If you dont see it that way say so but dont albi it away.
Now is as godd a time as any......A minority, one that feels downtrodden see's one of there own rise to the most powerfull position in the world and they sing his praises in joy and suddenly it becomes indoctrinaion.The right knows that is not the case but they played it that way as a way of suppressing the feeling of we can do it.BY labeling or mislabeling in this case is just a way of trying to make sure that none want to try and do it again.......Now that is the way a lot of us see it.....You as a person may not have that intent in mind but by seeing it the way you do you also faciltate the disenfranchisment of a people.ARE we not allowed hero's or are you going to dictate who those hero's should be......ALLEN KEYS ,OR ALLEN WEST IS NOT MY HERO AND NEVER WILL BE.SEC POWELL IS......WOULD IT BE ALRIGHT IF THEY MADE A SONG FOR HIM.Those are children who we are trying to raise with asperations for high exspectations there was no attempt to indoctrinate beyound that,The right seems to see everything positive that happens in the minority community as a threat unless it has there blessing.We dont need your blessing and it's not sought,but if you think we will be intimadated by your malalignment or misinterpretations your wrong.
I am not wrong about access the unemployment numbers tells it all.....black college grad unemployment numbers are almost twice what there white counterparts are.That speaks to access,that depress's there earning power and starts them off behind the 8 ball farther than there white counterpart.They have the same loans that have to be paid back no work they default at a higher rate,they pay higher interest and there credit is damaged disproportionally.I wonder if you right wing ideologues ever think of those things before you open your mouth.Maybe it would help if you asked some questions rather than telling us the way it should be.
BUCKSHOT.....some points are valid some are not....I will say this about military discipline THE GEN couldnt control his men therefore he couldnt control the situation.That is a premise of that kind of discipline it is age old and it is what makes fighting forces function.The GEN put himself in that position and the only blame lys at the feet of his subordinates who let him down.The military cost money lots of it and I havnt seen that cut we spend more than the next ten powerfull country's in the world put together and the questionj should be why????
Immirgration is there a reason this president should be any harder on immirgration than anyother president was?? DID you feel the same way with REAGAN WHO GAVE AMNESTY?? The fact that mexico is sueing arizona has nothing to do with OBAMA.fOR THE RECORD WE ARE DEPORTING MORE THAN WE EVER HAVE AND WE ARE ALSO STOPPING MORE CROSSINGS SO I SAID PROGRESS IS BEING MADE.Comprehensive reform is needed so when are the rebuplicans going to sit down and get it done???The election hasnt got anything to do with it that is and accusation without foundation .
When was the last time you heard of a conservative asking any group dealing with poverty what they could do to help.I think ROMNEY said it all when he said I dont worry about the poor.......did I miss something there??? HOW is that to be interpreted??
I take it that the goal is cheap labor and no enviromental restrictions........the fact that we poison the water,air and soil dont count if we kill a few hundred thousand a year ti's ok there only poor workers.look what we are doing for the corporations......so have a good time while you can we will make sure you only live till 62 if your poor.I take it we have all seen tha haze over the boise valley at times and it's ok with you?? how about that haze over the country.
INDOCTRINATION.....I dont think so especially in school....What they dont do is push the conservative agenda and that is what you want.Some folks dont like exscluding others,some folks dont like not having a choice,some folks dont like working for less than a wage that allows them to live,some folks dont consider the elderly expendable,some folks dont have a need for more bullets than we have bread,all folks deserve equal access to the american dream.You would think that looking at the entire problem people could come to gripes with NOBODY RIGHT OR LEFT HAS done squat for the American middle class in 40 yrs.To make this president the scapegoat for all our failures is easy.....but it's not right.TRY laying some blame were it belongs .......THE LACK OF CORPORATE ALLEGIANCE TO OUR COUNTRY......JUST LIKE I WANT TO LEAD YOU BUT I DONT WANT YOU TO HAVE MY MONEY TO HOLD.......I DONT TRUST YOU.....TALK ABOUT ARROGANCE........BUT I AM SURE THE RIGHT SEE'S THAT AS OK......IT'S NOT........THAT IS A LACK OF LEADERSHIP......DO AS I SAY NOT AS I DO.
YES run by a few.....for selfish purpose.I dont think you could call what is advocated here as and all encompassing tent.If obamcare is your issue should oil subsidies be and issue??OR SHOULD CITIZENS UNITED RULING BE AND ISSUE SEEING HOW IT IS ALLOWING MONEY TO DICTATE ELECTIONS.CORPORATIONS ARE PEOPLE??.....HELLO!!! WHEN THAT RULING WAS MADE THE RIGHT CHEERED THERE SUPREME COURT,NOW BECAUSE A RULLING DIDNT GO THERE WAY THE COURT SUCKS,SO WHO IS THE FEW???
I would think that as much name calling that is done PC would not be something that some would advocate,after all who cares that you offend with it just as long as you feel good saying it.I really see were some would feel pretty good if we maintained a slave class.
DONT FOOL YOURSELFES IT IS VERY APPARENT THAT WHAT YOU ARE ADVOCATING IS IT WILL BE OUR WAY OR NO WAY, WE WILL KILL ENSLAVE AND ANYTHING ELSE WE HAVE TO FOR THAT TO HAPPEN.YOU WILL ATTEMPT TO JUSTIFY IT AS FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY.nO MATTER HOW NOBLE YOUR CAUSE MINORITIES AND ANY WHO DISAGREES WILL BECOME TARGETS SIMPLY BECAUSE MOST ARE NOT ULTRA CONSERVATIVE.THIS IS A FAMILAR SCENARIO IT WAS PLAYED OUT LAST CENTURY AND IT IS HAPPENING THIS CENTURY.WE WILL NOT BE RENSLAVED,SO UNTIL YOUR IDEALOGY BECOMES MORE INCLUSIVE THERE WILL BE A WAR.DONT BE TO SURE THAT YOU WILL WIN......WE ARE WERE WE ARE TODAY BECAUSE WE HAVE THIS NEED TO RULE THE WORLD.MAYBE we should consider that they dont want to be ruled by us and that we dont set the best example.We talk equality and do something else,WE value money over everything and bow to the alter of green,We would rather see our citizens DIE THAN ENSURE ADEQUATE COMPREHENSIVE HEALTH CARE..The every man for himself mentality of 100 yrs ago that does not serve us well in this century IS STILL ALIVE AND WELL.THE ruling classe not the middle class controls the wealth and welfare of 98% of the citizens.Things are not done to benifite the people they are done to benifite the wealthy,TRICKLE DOWN economics only benifites the wealthy and keeps power at the point of who controls the faucet.What is happening is some feel they will never be on the bottom so therefore what happens there is not there problem and can be ignored just as long as they are making money.That will comeback and bite you in the butt.
There is a better way and right now neither side has even touched on it because we are to busy trying to rule the roost.PC DIDNT GET US HERE IGNORANCE AND INTOLERENCE DID.
I was not trying to bring in ethenic deporting,what I was bringing in is who based on what is next.
I WAS NOT REFERING TO PEOPLE WHO HAD COME HERE BUT PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN HERE SINCE OUR INCEPTION.
WHAT REPUBLICAN PRESIDENT HAS BEEN PERFECT???
seems LIKE WE JUST HAD ONE WHO DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB OF PLACING US IN A VERY COMPROMISING SITUATION.What your advocating is what I have been saying you want.....one party to rule the country like it or not,you want and ologarchy.You want that because you dont feel you will ever face any of the trials of other people.To create hate for our own citizens based on there religion,the school they went to,the color of there skin,to name a few is wrong just flat out wrong.
POLITICALLY CORRECT.....WHAT IS THAT???HAVE YOU EVER ASKED YOURSELF WHAT THAT'S ALL ABOUT????
I am getting the feeling anyone who disagree with the ultra thinking is branded as going to sell us out.......that is and exscuse for actions against your fellow citizens that are misguided at best.BASED on that I am on your list also because I do not agree with everything the right has to say.......I wonder,do you people really want a war??? I think you do if only to justify your idealogy.....
I'm not politically correct or punctuation perfect either......... You should give your message to the Indians at Duck Valley.....
Bye Bye hope you have a nice day
EVERY GROUP IN EVERY RELIGION HAS AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER ADVOCATED VIOLENCE IN THE NAME OF THAT RELIGION ......INCLUDING THE ONES CITED IN THE POST.
Buiding a mosque was a misnomer you dont build inside the city,what they were doing was renovating a building...and more than a city block AWAY is not near at all....it was a political football.Wether we like it or not we had muslim citzens way before 9/11.IS it fair to blame them for the actions of people from ANOTHER country simply because they share a religion......shades of the 1940'S WE HATE YOU FOR YOUR OWN PROTECTION.tHAT IS WHAT WE DID TO THE JAPANESE.Misdirected anomosity gets you nothing and only furthers your adversary cause.CONG BACHMAN MAY BE THE DARLING OF THE RIGHT BUT SHE IS SO WRONG IN HER ACTIONS THAT FAMILY SHOULD SUE HER ,BUT MORE IMPORTANT EVEN PEOPLE ON THE RIGHT ARE SAYING SHE IS WRONG.wHAT's it going to take to get it straight?I AM ALL FOR GO AFTER THE ENEMIES OF THE STATE LETS JUST MAKE SURE WE HAVE IT RIGHT ON WHO THEY ARE.
Now it's deport liberals and whats next?????muslims,blacks,jews,catholics,indians,chinese who's next and if you cant deport them then what? aND FOR SAKE OF SAYING IT WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO DECIDE??? That is the kind of rehetoric that keeps the nation divided.But we do have free speech.FOR some.......otherwise it becomes go along to get along.....what a sorry state of affaires after all these years.....
WOW ! lots of comments were deleted from this blog?
175=109
"I think from here on in we should choose to ignore his posts. Now granted, this will not stop him from commenting, God knows nothing will do that, but it WILL reduce his satisfaction level tremendously. He can continue to be obsessed all he wants, but when his comments fall on deaf ears, his "fun factor" diminishes. Do what you want, but that's what I intend to do from here on in."
Just like the multitude of posters you've "chosen" to ignore in the past, only to come back and spew more drivel in response to that which you swore you were done with?
Promises promises, tool.
I hope they get better. Hope horse info helped.
Thank You OM I appreciate you getting back about my horse question. Gotta run and pick of some meds for 5 little feral kittens who are sick. I've been trying to get them well for almost a month and the meds I have been giving them isn't working.....New medicine today and I hope it works.
MSM:
Mower clippings are too "hot" for a horse and can kill them. NEVER give a horse grass clippings from the lawn---ever. It will colic them and cause a very painful death.
It is ok to feed them small amounts of grass from your hand because it is not the quantity they get from a mower bag. It is too "rich" for their guts.
Good question.
Changing the subject since you brought up horses.
Is it ok to feed grass clippings to horses? I read on the internet that they can get sick, then others have told me grass is good for horses as long as you pick it with your hands and not by a mower and of coarse its not treated with some chemical...
I would write a blog about it, but really don't have the time, so am asking a quick question. Any info will be healthful.
Buckshot:
If you do not feed the trolls, the fun for them is gone and they post less and less. So goes the theory anyway. He just really likes to stir the matzo ball soup (so to speak). Everyone has their job in life.
Oh for sure the padlock! But padlock is still smaller than my favorite gun. Nose met a horse 8 weeks back but I still have nothing on Babs, Sammy, Gene Simmons or Adam Sandler. For sure the padlock...unless we bring the "twins" into this. Then, they win, hands down...or hands up...whatever. We may be cheap but it is all good. Our banks do not loan money---they keep it! I can stop on a dime and pick it up too. 100% Jew and proud of it!
Thanks Buckshot! I hope you enjoy my just posted blog. Great summer, thanks. Could have done without the run in with my horse however. Oh well! Have a great summer and keep the faith.
SM---so stop the "debate." Pretty simple. It is perfectly clear from your comments that some are far beneath your IQ level on here. Why fight an "inferior" battle. Go play with people who are on the same level as you. Why waste your time with "mental midgets" and simpletons. It is soooooooo beneath you!
http://www.un.org/disarmament/ATT/
ref para 7 of this statement:
http://www.un.org/disarmament/ATT/statem...
If that's how you remember it Marvin then I stand corrected and I apologize to Zook. If my memory is wrong I now feel bad for thinking the worse...
Been extremely busy the past month. Many different things going on all at once, and now I get Jury Duty! Still it is no excuse for my behavior!
I can remember when Zook was asked if he knew who Homer is and, his answer was NO, I have NO clue who he is!! NOW Zook you say you know him personally. hmmmmmmm what does that make you?
BTW I have a few copies of some of Homer's post. and I bet if I search high and low I bet I can find more.
Comparing to the way Homer wrote, I would say bs61 and homer are the same person.
If zook lied and said he didn't know who Homer was, my guess he knows BS61 is Homer...
Talk about two peas in a pod who most likely meet up at the gun store.....
Criminals prefer unarmed victims.
Dictators prefer unarmed citizens.
Not much more to it than that.
ZOOK......some of us dont care about guns....I know what they mean to you,they dont mean the same to me.we have 310 million people in this country and we have 300 million legal guns in private citizens hands.Perspnally I cant figure out why the need but that's me. So im with marv what is going on at the UN that you are screaming about.Try and remember the UN is a pawn we use as we see fit.WE used it to go after iraq remember???
I wouldnt have a problem with the UN if it were functional but it's not.
BUCKSHOT......YOUR TRUTH IS NOT SOMEONE ELSES TRUTH,YOU DONT LIVE IN OTHER PEOPLES LIVES.BASED ON PEOPLES FRAME OF REFERENCE USUALLY WILL DETERMINE HOW THEY SEE THE TRUTH
HAVE TO AGREE MARV.....and have said so....this will not stop until someone steps up and says so.We can change presidents and the only thing that is going to happen is the left will go into the obstuctionism that we see on the right,so whats the difference.
I AM REAL TIRED OF THE ONE SIDED BASHING and that you cant even sneeze right,the tyranical ideology's are so destructive that a reasonable thought cannot even be stated without the bashing.We have gotten to the label and discount phase.....which means that someone is always being destructively tuned out.Not the way to go but some want it that way they have a need to feel like they are incharge and that everyone else is dumber than rocks not the way to run a country or anything for that matter.I guess i should stop speaking to my conservative neighbor because that is what this has come to.....or he'll stop speaking to me which ever comes first......later
I for one could care less where private citezens put there money.I really dont care where ROMNEY puts his money ,but I do take issue with you want the country to trust you but you dont trust the country....I simply find it a telling circumstance that in the subconciouse says a lot.KINDA like the captain who is the first off the sinking ship.IF I wERE running for president I would have the bulk of my assests here,certainly not somwhere were they could be held hostage.Again this is based on him RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT, DONT WANT TO BE PRESIDENT I COULD CARE LESS WHERE YOU PUT YOUR MONEY.NO REBUKE NO DISDAIN.
MY thing about assets is the thing called national allegiance.YouR making it here how about reinvesting it here??ARE the people who serve in the military the only ones who get to reinvest by going back for 7-8 combat tours,thats national allegiance in my book at the highest level.
There was a very intresting conversation with SEC ALBRIGHT AND SEC POWELL ON CNN TONIGHT THEY MIGHT PLAY IT AGAIN LATER.......VERY REFRESHING INSIGHTS,TOOK PLACE AT THE REAGAN CENTER WORTH WATCHING BY ALL THEY DIDNT SPARE ANYBODY.....
Oh and Obama and all of his back room deals are so much better. Who cares where people keep their money really. That is their business. These banks in the US are not worthy of keeping our money after the crap they pulled with the bailout money and the current things they are pulling. I would keep it offshore too if I had enough to worrry about.
With all of the people that Obama employs who did not pay taxes (until they wanted a job with him), his office has no room to talk about where Romney chooses to keep his money. It is all a joke. They are all scum bags---all of them. And you can be darn sure that Obama has his fair share of offshore accounts probably in the names of his family members who are here illegally. Maybe even in his own name. Who knows who cares.
Zook, I agree with your statement on Romney and his money and I DO NOT think that Romney is worthy of my vote either but then again, NONE of them are. As my husband said---Congressate need to go and we will let the people vote on what to do/not do. It could not get much worse.
Then again if we have several million people who think like rummy...I guess it could be worse. Bottom line is that Obama is not the solution and neither is Romney. They both suck. Not a darn one of them has any business leading this country.
COULD BE......BUT HE HASNT SAID ANYTHING TRUTHFULL AND STUCK WITH IT YET......AND IF HE WANTS TO BE TRUSTED THEN HE SHOULD BE PARKING HIS MULTIMILLIONS IN THE COUNTRY HE WANTS TO BE HEAD OF.........THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS AND IN NO WAY AND INDICTMENT......
ROMNEY......A SERIOUS CHANGE......YOUR KIDDING RIGHT?????
Buckshot, you are correct with your statement.
KH, thanks.
Zook, keep on.
This is totally unrelated so bear with me. What do you fine gentleman on here know about traveling north of Baker City, OR towards Elgin, OR? My brother-in-law and I are going to ride our bikes from Caldwell to Walla Walla and that is part of the path.
Over the years I have ranted many times about how impatient, irrational, and (pardon the term) stupid Americans are. This cynicism got its roots from my working at Apple as a technical support agent.
Quick example. One of out every five calls was someone who wanted step by step instructions on how to operate their iPod and their computer. Nevermind, the automated message that would come on every five minutes that would tell them that this is not essentially free classes over the phone. 80% of the time they had never even attempted to operate it. They would not even open the package. They would find the number on the back and call. That points to a lack of personal responsibility and motivation. I take pride in figuring things out for myself. Maybe I am the weird one but if so that would not be all that great a revelation.
Second, there were countless times where I would tell them how to fix the problems themselves but that was not good enough. They had to have new product right now. The fix would take minutes or hours but the new product would take weeks. When I would tell them that they would ask to speak to my manager. Irrationality at its best.
Finally, a customer one day proceeded to tell me that an Apple help page told him to put his System32 folder in the recycle bin and empty it. If you know windows, you know to never touch this let alone empty it. Note: the person was using Windows in coordination with an iPod. After some deliberation, I caught him in his lie.
The point is that in each of these they simply wanted to absolve themselves of responsibility and risk. The customers came from all 50 states, represented all ages in the spectrum, and represented all ends of the economic spectrum. We do the same in politics. Playing the blame game; always wanting bigger, better; and not researching the issues so that we know what we are talking about. Sound familiar to anyone?
Most of our rants/comments/griping is about those at the federal level. One suggestion that I would offer is to shorten the length of the legislative session. Fix the length of it at 4 months and decrease their pay. This would weed out those who only want to get elected for the money and glory involved. Also, have their benefits not be til the end of their life. Shorten it down to only 2 to 4 years after they leave office. Again, this would make it less attractive to those who should not be really doing it.
WELL I SEE THAT ZOOKS RANTS ARE OK,BUCKSHOTS RANTS ARE OK THEY CAN SAY WHAT THEY WANT IT'S OK.
LAMONT YOU CANT DO THAT........RIGHT.NO WONDER SOME FEEL EMBOLDENED.......NO PENALTY HELLO !!!!!! I GUESS SOMONE ELSE LOST THERE POSTS ALSO .......OH WELL..... IT'S YOUR BLOG
Thanks, Lamont. Yeah, I'm fine and I apologize for my last post. I get so mad sometimes and just let that spill out into my comments. It just seems like America is getting "dumber" :) and morals are out the window. And it seems like the gene pool is just becoming more tainted. That's my rant for the day.
See yall later :)
To connect my last post with the one from last night, Politicians know that they are not as influential in the economy as most Americans want them to be. They know that they are indirect players in the game. If they stated the cold, honest truth that they do not have all that great an impact (and especially not in the short term), they would never get elected. It does not matter whether it was in Idaho or New York. Expecting them the main reason that jobs locate in America or in a particular state is giving them too much credit. Also, by giving them too much credit we discredit the real power brokers: the consumer and those who do the work not just talk about it.
How does a politician create jobs? First, they appropriate money. The money goes to some agency who then redistributes and work begins on a bridge, section of road, or something else. Another possibility is that they write favorable laws. For instance, in Nevada they did away with the Inventory tax in hopes of luring companies to place their warehouses/distribution centers. It worked. Third, they could grant a subsidy.
All of these are indirect in nature. They operate under the assumption that people will act predictably given incentives. Well, hate to burst the bubble but that just is not true. Just because you given someone money does not mean that they are going to act rationally. Just because a business is given a subsidy does not mean that they will in turn hire people. There are other decisions in running a business than just hiring.
This is why politicians are not really job creators. All they really do is shuffle the deck. The deck does not grow in size. Real economic growth comes from increased consumer demand, greater productivity, and a better legal climate.
The relationship between government and business should be rather simple. The government's only duty in the economy is to provide a sound legal climate that protects property rights, contracts, and the people. Their continued meddling simply makes the situation more complex than it needs to be.
I've been silent, watching and reading. Twil, you and Marvin have gotten it right. We are like a nation of alcoholics, in that like alcoholics, we want it now! We don't want to wait for real lasting results. Immediate gratification. The leading economist have said that it matters naught who is elected, unemployment will not hit 6% for most likely 4 more years. If the EU takes a dump, even longer. Even the budgets proposed by the likes of Ryan will have deficits for the next 6-10 years. To do it quicker would be economic suicide.
ZOOK...... WHO'S CAMPAIGN IS PAYING YOU??????
BUCKSHOT....no trick that is how I felt get past liberal.I WAS GROWN BEFORE YOU WERE BORN...TRY TO REFRAIN FROM THE PERSONAL it helps the conversation.
MARVIN....... YOU COULD BE RIGHT
TWILL....... THEY HAVE A WORK ETHIC WE SEEM TO HAVE LOST....AND THERE PRIORITIES ARE DIFFERENT.PART OF MY MOM'S FAMILY'S IS FROM BARBADOS AND I SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN THAILAND THEY HAVE SOMETHING WE TAKE FOR GRANTED THE NEED TO IMPROVE .
KT........WHATS UP WITH THAT???? your more upbeat than that.hope your ok.
it's*
Ahhhh just backspaced everything I wrote... What a rant that was!
God bless the Retarded States of America. If these fools get re-elected, it's not the politicians that are screwed up, it the people.
My wife saw a vanity plate today that said "SLUT LIFE".
I hope the predictions about 2012 are true. Mankind needs to start from scratch.
The American public can't handle the truth. If a presidential candidate or Senate candidate was to say that he cannot fix the economy and that anything that he does will take years, they would be lucky to get 10 votes. Would he be lying? No. He would be telling the cold, blunt, honest truth. Americans want promises and slick campaigns. We want to absolve ourselves from doing the hard work and taking responsibility. We want to hear how they are going to solve all of our problems and that all we have to do is exist.
Marvin already stated these ideas but I thought that they fit at this point.
Finally, I attended graduate school with a group of roughly 17 others. There were 4 Americans in that group. One was the highest performer and the other represented the lower end. The other 13 came from Iran, Turkey, India, Greece, Barbados, and Thailand. They were head and shoulders above the 3 out of 4 Americans. They were more dedicated and always took it upon themselves to earn the grades not just complain. It is of little wonder to me as to why the American's spot on the world throne is no longer a given. It is of little wonder that they get the top jobs and we do not.
TWILL.....I would think in this time that the farmers in rural america will also take a huge hit.There are major subsidies there.One of the things that hit me was we have subsidised so much of the economy that it has become excedingly hard to make the economy function honestly if it ever can.AS a whole we have so many artificial reality's that it is basically disfunctional.I see our politics on both sides knowing that, I am not sure like you wether anyone can confront the issues and make the public understand that we have basically been living a lie.
There was and article in the paper about soldiers finding out that the benefites they signed up for were not what was real.Could it be we are more willing to listen to the lie than the truth because it makes us feel good?? I DONT THINK WE CAN LOOK REAL HARD AT SO CALLED ENTITLEMENTS WITHOUT LOOKING HARD AT ALL THE SUBSIDIES,FROM OIL TO FARMES AND HOW ABOUT CONGRESSIONAL PENSIONS???
I think the change required would be viewed \by some as a decline of AMERICA.That is what.....in my opinion is the reason it does not take place.IT is however what is required.We dont want to make the sacrifice,we seem to rather be willing to sacrifice people......I dont understand that for a moment........anyhow my thoughts........later
BUCKSHOT......YOUR INTERPRETATION OF WHAT WAS SAID IS YOURS AS MINE IS MINE AND I DID LISTEN TO IT ALL Your viseral attack direted at me was not in the least called for but not unexpected.I didnt accuse anyone I made a suggestion if you took it as and accusation that is because you wanted to.
Starvin,
I do not believe that Romney has the courage nor support of his peers to do this. He may cut taxes but that is a different story. To make the necessary cuts would spell the end of his political career. Not only would the Left bury him some of his own would declare mutiny. He has been flip-flopping a bit lately and that shows me that he is more concerned with his political aspirations than results. However, it would be interesting to see how he does if elected.
A lot of rural America is dependent on government money. The same is true of the inner city in the large metro areas. Both of those areas would experience profound decline.
Those that would be affected negatively are aware of a certain reality. That reality is that their jobs and the livelihood supplied by government funds was artificial to begin with. Some politician earmarked money for them and that is why the jobs/economy survived as long as it did. It is unsustainable in the long run and most know this already.
What do you think?
Lamont,
No, I have never worked for the winery in Glenn's Ferry. I have been there as a customer and found it charming.
Some of our issues boil down to Americans wanting instant rewards. They feel that because they did their part that they should see the fruits of that labor now. Nothing is allowed to run it's full course.
For instance, if Obama/Washington D.C. was to do the right thing and cut every department's budget by 2% the outcry would be immediate. The long run benefits would be less spending, less interest, less headaches for all involved, and a sounded currency. However, those benefits would take years to show themselves. Most Americans would not accept that. They would see the loss of jobs, loss of pensions, towns drying up, and their agendas being diminished (especially if concerned the Border Patrol, EPA, or FDA). Short term loss would be outweighed by long term gain but no one will allow to occur.
That is why we need politicians that are not gutless cowards. Yes, this will be unpopular. Books will be written about how they ruined the country. Talk show pundits will go on for months about it. There will be marches on Washington. Scott Walker (WIS) is a good example. However, once the pouting has stopped and the noses have been wiped, maybe then maybe we can get back to the business of simply running the country.
JUST saw your post twill.....congrats are in order.
Funny thing you are a conservative and you and I have said the very same things almost verbatim about several things to include ,time an what is needed to get us out of the mess we are in.
QUESTION...... DID YOU WORK AT THE WINERY IN GLENS FERRY WITH NEAL??? IF so we have met anyhow ....CONGRATULATIONS....BIG MILSTONE AND A GAME CHANGER.
I have one question to ask.......DID those here that are busy taking the president to task hear the entire remarks or are we assuming what was said from a sound bit??? The reason I ask is based on the total deslike of the man by most here, I would tend to think you did not listen to the speech or any part of it and are taking your attitude from sound bites as interpreted by YOUR media outlets.LISTEN to the entire speech and stop putting things out of context.RIGHT IS RIGHT AND WRONG IS WRONG.
WHEN hate takes over nothing is heard for what it is only for what you want.That is how people got lynched,it's called kangaroo courts.
Back to the topic,
As I have stated numerous times, when an entity is in financial trouble there are two solutions; raise revenue and/or decrease expense. To pay off a debt, the revenues have to exceed the expenses. In an ideal setting, the entity (government) would leave revenues alone and cut expenses. A bit too logical for some but it is what it is.
In the case of the modern day federal govt, this logical task is complicated by statute, legalities, and special interests. Slashing of the budget of certain departments would entail job loss, severance payments, legal retort, and public scrutiny. That is disheartening but again it is what it is. So how do we get this done if the obstacles are difficult to overcome? First, we need to elect politicians that are of high character and not simply glorified salesmen. Second, Americans need to value results over flashy campaign ads and rah-rah speeches. Finally, we should not expect instant results. It took years for this mess to become what it is and so it will take years to deconstruct it.
Buckshot,
"President Barack Obama said in a speech at the weekend that governments and not individuals create jobs, telling entrepreneurs: 'If you've got a business - you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen.'"
I am going to explain the reasoning behind his remarks. The reasoning is wrong but it helps to be able to see what it is therefore enabling one to shoot it down more accurately.
First, no person and no business is self made. In the case of a business, there are customers. Without customers, the business ceases to exist. There is also a historical element to it. Without the aid of others before you, the environment around the business would not be what it is. Finally, no one acquires the capital to start the business without the work/sacrifice of others in the past. It is a bit of a network.
Here is what is wrong about that perspective. Business owners take pride in what they do. This pride may be misplaced but they do. I intend to start a brewery in Reno one day and I know that I will have the same thoughts. To attempt to demean that pride that they take in what they do is immoral and self-defeating.
Two, even if someone in the past paved the way the current owner still had to put forth effort. They still took the risk. Nothing profound happens in the business world without taking some risk.
These are just words on his part and should be ignored. Any self respecting businessman should know better than to take those words to heart. However, not all do and so shame on Obama.
The NFIB was founded in 1943 and has some 350,000 members. It is officially a non-partisan organization but tends to contribute heavily to Republican candidates. In 2010, 25 of its members, all republicans, were elected to Congress.
Members 350,000 out of all the business in the states.....
Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/watchwomanonth...
First, I need to revise some things. At the moment, we are at roughly 92%. What I should have stated was the ratio of interest payments on the debt to GDP. Currently, we are in the mid-20's. I should work on proofreading these before I post.
Back to the topic,
I will keep it short so pardon me if I leave out things. About the debt, we could start seeing quantifiable effects as soon as 2018. That is when we could see the bond rating downgraded. In six years, if the debt grows at the average rate of growth our debt to GDP ratio could exceed 35%. 35% is meaningful because no nation in the modern era has ever exceeded that threshold and not experienced considerable inflation and recession. Recessions happen but when the source of the recession is something as large and onerous as a mammoth national debt, it becomes more difficult than ever to right the ship.
Concerning personal responsibility, here is my take.
As most of you know, i just wrapped up a Master's Degree. I am now feverish on the hunt for meaningful employment. It is not going all that well obviously or I would not be on this blog. I could sit here, pout, and say that the government should do something about this travesty. They should ensure that someone who spent all this time, energy, and money is able to use it.
Or I could pick my lip off the ground and realize that I went into this endeavor knowing that there was uncertainty involved. That is life. No one put a gun to my head and told me to endure the last two years. You make the bed, you sleep in it. I have found that those who really want it will keep trudging on and do not need external assistance.
Government intervention, at least with respect to this topic, artificially changes things. By manufacturing jobs through the various means that they use, they are creating something that is unsustainable. It would be like trying to grow mangoes in Riddle, idaho. It could be done. It would create jobs. However, is it an efficient use of resources to force this into existence. In my opinion, no.
Starvin,
I have to get on with life today but your last post was brilliant. You should save that for later. When this topic comes up again, you should bring that out.
Buckshot,
here's a better example.
Let's say someone is addicted to something. The easy solution is to tell them to stop it. If you do not understand why they are addicted then they are doomed to repeat it. They may not pick up their original addiction but they could easily pick up another or engage in other self-destructive behaviors.
Americans are addicted to short term thinking. Everyone lives in the moment. In the political realm, they are solely concerned about re-election and being the hero. Those are short term concepts. We can say stop the spending but how do we prevent another equally destructive act from following. We have to kill the roots of the tree not just snip the branches.
No, I am not the only one who has the schooling or know-how. There are thousands of others out there. Anyways, you should copy the middle of the first paragraph and save it for other discussions. Starting with your third sentence, that pretty much sums up the situation. Good stuff.
Buckshot,
If you do not understand the cause of something, what stops it from happening again? In the case of the debt, if the public does not understand the mechanisms that make it happen, how are they ever going to know if it is happening?
Buckshot.
Come back a step. Why increase spending or in the least leave it at it's present level? At the most fundamental level, why do they do it? Politicians all know about the debt and know what effect it will have if left unchecked. So why do they keep adding to it?
Additionally, the purpose of complaining is to change what is bothering you. No one whines without the implied wish that something change. How can you really change something if you do not understand it? People complain about the debt all the time but do not understand it and therefore they are at the mercy of self-serving politicians. I would think educating them on how it will affect them and how it works would better arm them in their battle. If you want to stand by, be ignorant, and just complain without ever offering any solutions then feel free. In the meantime, I will go about educating the public.
Imagine that you are driving your car down the road. It begins to not run all that great. At this moment, you have to consider that it could be a multitude of things. Spark plugs, engine, electronics, O2 sensor, etc. Without understanding to some degree how a car works, could you accurately/efficiently diagnose the problem? No. Without some understanding, you would just be randomly doing things in hopes of it fixing the problem.
To connect this to the thread, if people do not understand how the debt affects their daily life they may not be able to recognize the effects. Interest rates, poor job markets, inflation, etc. have more than one possible cause. If they understand the effects, they will not get caught up in the maze of rationalizations, promises, and rhetoric. So instead of them just complaining they can propose solutions and have more say in their life.
"LOL! You don't HAVE to know EXACTLY how a ballooning debt is going to affect you. The very fact that it will, and negatively so, is enough."
If that is what certain people would say then fine. However, that is not what happens. In their attempt to "win" the argument, they try the same analysis ballgame. It is quite difficult to analyze something you do not understand.
Paralysis through analysis. I know where you going with this and what a joke. The clever rationalizations used to justify increasing the national debt have been used by both sides. No high ground here. Both parties have sniveling weaklings that give in to public pressure and special interests. Short term thinking at work again. That is the reason for the rising debt. No matter the level of analysis, the problem will persist unless Americans become willing to accept the consequences and politicians grow a pair.
Ask a normal person to tell you what effect a skyrocketing national debt will have on their daily life? Most will reply with some politically-charged rhetoric about their great country going to pot. This is just a cover for the fact that they really do not know. They can not risk being embarrassed. All this time spent clamoring about it and they really do not know. Hmmm....
Here is how it would affect daily life? First, the currency being used will start to lose value. Devalued currency is similar to inflation. Additionally, imports will become cheaper and exports more expensive. Now in places like Idaho and Nevada which do not export a lot of their products internationally this last bit seems a bit extraneous. However, it is not. A lot of those who consume the products of Idaho, Nevada, and even Wyoming do export internationally.
Finally, if the bond rating takes a hit the consequences will be of a more insidious nature. Contrary to the hyperbole that Americans just love, the effects would be less obvious. The effect will be higher interest rates. Without writing a novel, only one interest rate will go up. That would be the federal funds rate. That is the rate that banks charge one another for transfers and inter-bank loans. The changes in that rate filter down through all of the others and eventually into daily life.
Some other effects that it may have are higher taxes and weaker job markets (or at least in the short term). Weaker job markets result from weakened currency and the fact that Americans expect government to be the economic safety net. If they knew that the safety net was not there, they would be less prone to take on risk. Job growth depends somewhat on risk. In time, they would become accustomed to this and adapt. Overall, it is amazing that some get so worked up about it but yet know next to nothing about it.
It is a world like Alice in Wonderland. Everything is distorted and the wrong size.
Great Blog.