Political Science for Dummies

HaHaHaHa Love it ! especially this one >

IRAQI CORPORATION

You have two cows.

They go into hiding. They send radio tapes of their mooing.

Thaks Kim for a good laugh this morning :)

ELMORE CORPORATIVE:

I have no cows, my neighbors has no cows. My neighborhood has the smell of a 100 cows.

i wanted to move back home dont want to milk bulls

I get it...you reference cows because that's what you're use too. Very original, I guess they call that Mountain Home humor, or some may call it "red-neck" humor. I especially like the reference to REPUBLICANS...that should be their official motto "You have two cows. Your neighbor has none. So?"

Wait a second, I feel a chukkle coming from deep inside my bowels...hold on... no, false alarm, it was just gas! Kinda like your blog!

Dang, I have 3 trucks, a regular car, and 3 sports cars. SO? Oh shucks I forgot, I have 3 garage stalls also. So?

cantjustwatch,

You made my day. Good job.

Oh yeah, forgot; my neighbor has a mini van - Sooo?

Ouch cantjustwatch! My feeling would have been hurt, but since I know that this is coming from someone with "extreme" limited mental capacity, I actually feel exhilerated.

I am acutually aroused cantjustwatch...

Once again, you have overreached your bounds in not only your limited intellect, but as to where I come from. You epitomize the meaning of the word "MORON". It's "dimwits" like yourself who makes Idaho look like it does amoungst our fellow Americans.

You represent the tired and worn out "rednecks" that have habituated this region for far too long. The demographics of this state is slowly but surely changing. I forsee in the very near future, your kind will be exiting or even better yet "eradicated" from this great state.

You are the kind of low-life that my children have nightmares about...inbred, trailor park white trash.

Yes, I see a bright future for this community and this state without the likes of intellectually challenged beings like you. Notice how I left out "human"...you don't fit that category...oh by the way, the last I checked my genitlas were alive and very well.

PS "midea" you also are included in the "MORON" squad.

"Quick to judge, quick to anger, slow to understand...ignorance and prejudice go hand and hand"

Could care less about cows. Except they're good to eat. If my neighbor had something I wanted (no cows) and I didn't have it. I would probably asked to borrow it, because my and I actually talk to each other and have a great relation. Or even better, spend some of my hard-earned money and buy what I needed, instead of sitting on my butt and crying for a handout. Oh my god, a productive American. What a concept!

Bazooka, great read first thing in the morning. So funny, yet so true.

Cantjustwatch: Keep on keepin' on. Good job. Kudos to you. Sounds like you work hard, and play hard. Got the best of both; water fun and land. Can't beat that.

Dear Moron squad...enough already, your responses are as humorious as well as your existance on this planet.

I'm suprised you could actually understand some of the wording in my last blog...with that Idaho public schooling of yours....what grade did you complete, 5th or 6th?

Though I'd love to continue our conversation, I feel that any further discussion would start making that pea brain of yours "hurt". And on a secondary note, I'm just getting bored!

Funny, it seems that everytime I'm done engaging in conversation with inbred, pea brains like yourself, I feel extremely dirty and feel the need to wash.

Let me give you some advice, have you and your buddies from "the moron squad" go back and finish grammer school. Then maybe read a newspaper or two...something simple like, USA Today or maybe even the Statesman. Start out slow, don't want to hurt that tiny grey matter in between your ears. Reading something like the New York Times or Washington Post...those publications are for "grown-ups" who can dissmenate those "10 dollar" words and process in-depth thought.

I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I was feeling a little low lately, but you seemed to turned that around. Our limited time together has strongly enforced my self-esteem. Maybe I was wrong about you and the moron-squad, there could a use for you, like making people like me have a good laugh. Humor is a cure all ya know...what a second, you wouldn't know, your a "moron"!

Oh, by the way a little throw back to bazookaman, you wouldn't a second in my neighboorhood in New York.

cant justwatch, I believe that if one word in the comment was changed to black, then it would have been racist. Not sure why the difference though.

Well once again Big Brother..or Sister..I wouldn't want to OFFEND anyone, has stepped up and made a judgement call. I personally feel OFFENDED by the term "trailer park white trash" I for one do NOT live in a trailer park but my father does. Neither he nor I were raised as white trash. We both were raised as second and third generation decendants of immigrants that actually came to this country to get out from under the oppressive goevernment in central Europe in the first aprt of the 20th century. My father and my father's father raised their sons to be hard working memebers of society. I went to college and though I haven't gotten my degree, I have re-entered college to finish my business degree. I have worked hard for everything I have. I have two cars, a road bike and a camp trailer. Some of my neighbors have more and some have less. I am a proud spouse of an Air Force Sergeant. She has given 11 years of her life so idiots like DUMBFOUNDED IN IDAHO can spout off about how smart they are because they moved here from New York City. You poor hicks can't possibly be as smart as he is because he came from New York City. What a joke. I worked for a guy that came from New York City once. TOTAL buffoon. Thought he was smart too until a few "Good 'Ol Boys" showed him how small town doesn't mean small mind and certainly doesn't mean hick, redneck, hillbilly...I could go on and on. Dumb in Idaho needs to realize that there are people with more intelligence AND more LIFE EXPERIENCE than he could gather for the rest of his life living in this smal town. One of those men is Bazooka. Sun Zu says you need to know your enemy as you kow yourself. Might be a good thing to think about before you spout off again DII.

Ohh and DII....Bazooka would last longer than you think in your neighborhood...why?...he's better armed...lol.

Yea though I walk through the valley of death I will fear no evil becasue I am the meanest..&&&....in the valley

Everything changes in time. The era that people on here romanticize was the result of changes. Today's era is just another stop on the path. For every generation, there is always those who cry and say that the world is going to heck and that it is all the current era's fault. In the 50's, there was plenty of people saying that morals had gone to pot and that Ray Charles, Chuck Berry, Muddy Waters were simply making noise. There were plenty who thought that we should go back to strict Catholics, horse and buggy, never leave the county, meat and potatoes, vigilante justice, etc. I find myself looking at 18 year old kids and shaking my heads. I sound just like my parents did back in the mid-90's. They were telling me that kids just dont know how to work and that we were all spoiled, good for nothings. The point is that times change whether one likes it or not.

it comes to Americans (politicians and lay people) feeling like they need a high standard of living. If people of all sectors could learn to not have a feverish demand for luxury, that would help the economic picture. Sounds simplistic but when you get to the core of it that is what it boils down to. The big picture stuff like bond rates, Federal Reserve policies, interest rates, and trade deficits boil down to consumer demand. Each person may only have a minute impact on the whole but they influence others.

The Russians are going to be a sticky issue in the upcoming years. They oppose virtually every international decision that the U.S. makes. They are powerless at the moment but that could change.

Oh, I know plenty of people that lived way above their means and bought things like big screen TV's, new cars, bought too big of a home, season tickets to various sporting events, high price vacations. They knew plenty well that they were going under but they continued to push their luck in hopes of the economy coming back up. Well, it did not and their risks were not rewarded. Politicians play the same game. The difference is that they rarely pay the consequences.

When one person pulls a stupid like described above, its tough luck. When thousands of Americans play Russian Roullette with their financial fortunes, then they cry to the govt to rescue them and so starts the cycle that we have been complaining about for years.

On the brighter side, I have spoke with people who are just naturally sensible regardless of how well the economy is performing. There are a few who dont let everybody else influence their decision making.

Being fiscally responsible and sensible is not all that glorious and does not garner attention. It comes down to people wanting instant rewards or in this case instant acceptance. They want the world to know that they are living the high life and cant wait till their bank account justifies it.

Credit card companies, banks, mortgage brokers took advantage of the public, sure. Did certain policies enacted during both the Clinton and Bush eras usher this problem in? Yes. No matter the policy, interest rate, or anything other big picture item it all boils down to choice.

The beginning of the tax-and-spend cycle is choice. Politicians and their perpetually poor fiscal record starts with choice on the constituent/consumer level. It always easier to blame them at the end of the cycle. Sometimes I wonder if America is too wealthy/affluent for its own good.

I have to make this short but I get your points. Wasteful spending happens all the time. All that I am saying is that all this complex, high-end, economic stuff all boils down to choice on the consumer level. Their actions are the start of all other eventual reactions. Now does anyone want to hear this? No, because reforming one consumer or one politician does not help the big picture. Society likes big sweeping changes with tangible benefits. The rationale behind what makes someone decide to spend or not spend takes years to develop and sometimes cannot be unlearned.

Bankers are guilty but I tire of everyone blaming business and govt. for their own shortcomings. It all started in the living room when they had an inkling of an idea to upgrade or not. I find that most people faced with this decision are pretty smart and know that there is risk involved. Just because someone does not talk them out of it is not everyone's problem. The banker would not have the dilemma had the couple not thought about it and upon deliberation decided that it was worth the risk. I come back to the person because I find that upon them coming clean, they say that they knew better but still went ahead. The cost in terms of satisfaction and lost prestige is minimal compared to the cost of having to move again, bad credit ratings, and ultimately society picking up the tab.

No, but that was not really the topic of my last post. I have a busy day so enjoy your day. I dont support the stuff you mentioned above but will be for another day.

I have a question...why do we, as tax payers, pay for the president to fly all over the country to campaign for memebers of his party. The last time I looked he was elected as the President of the United States. I don't care which party they represented in the elction, once they take the oath of office they represent US. I for one don't feel I need to have my hard earned money going towards the support of one particular party. Just think of the waste that goes on, the jet, it's crew, the secruity detail, the staff. WOW....betcha could pay for a few nudred insurance policies with what is spent on one trip across country.

People have rightfully been complaining about politicians and CEO's living the high life at the expense of the many for centuries. Their criticisms are legit. My point in all of this is that the blame is not 100% theirs. Yes, they have a major part and as Americans we need to take a stand. Yet the mind set that makes these people feel that they earned the right to be so wasteful starts at home. Given the chance, a lot of Americans will live as luxuriously as they can. This might be bought on credit and/or hurt their long term prospects but they care not. They live for the moment. This mindset filters on up to the top.

One idea that I have had, however unrealistic, is that expense accounts be done away with. Per diem compensation for politicians should be done away with. This would take a major uprising on the part of the average citizen. Politicians at all levels would resist this and find complex, convoluted ways to rationalize these. If they had to pay out of pocket for these expenses, they may change their tune.

A citizens initiative or other political mechanism to remove Per diem compensation or expense accounts from Congress' lap would be an epic fight. They are granted up to some number like $100 for a meal. Well I can make a gourmet meal for under $20 and I find it hard to believe that restaurants in the D.C. are that expensive. The point is that if they had to furnish this necessity out of their wages, they would have to be more frugal and that may translate to other activities.

The Constitution is not an element in this. There is nothing in the U.S. Version about how to compensate these types so that crutch could not be used. Overall, it will take fresh, new, passionate, and driven individuals to outfox them at this game. The game being overpaid. Other avenues I would like to see explored is little to no lobbying, special interest groups going away, and reduced foreign aid. I would like to say no foreign aid but we have been doling it out since the time of Jefferson. The only difference is that the amount has increased and we are seeing no return on the investment now. Years ago, they gave it out but usually it was to help industries that Americans would consume the products of. Exmaples are bananas, oil, fishing, and nitrates. There are more but I think that one can get the picture. Now we simply give it out just to be charitable. That is fine but as many have stated before, why not Americans.

I am not naive enough to think that lobbying can be eradicated but in a perfect world it would be minimal. It simply convolutes the political realm and it is no secret to any citizen of any country that is asking for trouble.

That is a bit bizaare because IRS jobs are the most prone to recession. They go up and down with the economy but this health care bill is going to complicate it. IRS types are expensive primarily because of how complex the rules that govern them are. It takes some serious brainpower to know the immensely complex tax system. I guess my criticism is not its existence but the fact that they make it so complicated. The complexity makes it difficult to administer and expensive. I know that someone will have a tirade about how it should be abolished but we all have heard it hundreds of times before. I will abstain from being a rerun.

Pretty sweet stereotypes...But I guess that's to be expected from someone who copies and pastes their blogs. Ughhhh.

At the most fundamental level, taxation is part of a civilized society. It comes down to the fact that some services cant be adequately provided for by the public sector. Or at least there has never been an example in known human history. The existence of taxation no matter how little or large will yield a bureaucracy of some sort. This bureaucracy has existed in some form in every civilized society yet to exist. It has changed form and function. If abolished, it would come back in new shape but the function would be the same. A society with no public sector would become feudal and anybody that argues that a feudal society would be best has smoked too much or is ignorant beyond words.

I guess the point of the last one is that I support simplifying tax law and making the IRS a smaller player in the big picture. It is always going to exist in some shape or another. Ron Paul has conceded on numerous times that while he supports getting rid of income tax, one cant live tax free and still expect a public sector to exist.

On the topic of the new agents, that is somewhat comical. In today's day and age of computers, it seems strange that they need to hire all these individuals. IRS agents are expensive. I have looked into working for them at times and the bottom tier positions pay about 44K per year. These agents will most likely not be of that bottom tier. To incentivize their working for them, they will give them a slight pay raise over that 44K level. I have to get to class but there has to be more to this story than meets the eye. It is not financially sound to hire more workers than one really needs.