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Is this place really that apolitical?

Posted by john vanlandingham 
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Tony Wells
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
October 11, 2012 03:41PM
Quote
frumby
Derek, my answer to the question 'how is the fed gov impacting you negatively'.

We need gov. We need taxes. I like roads, and law, and as society becomes increasingly complex, more and more things are needed that we provide ourselves collectively through taxes.

But the federal government wastes TONS and TONS and TONS of money. Yes, the wars. And a bloated and inefficient military (believe me, I know), but those are just part of the problem. Every bill is pork laden. Everyone on Capitol Hill, from either side of the aisle has a 'project' to fund that will help to keep him or her in power. Farm subsidies. Healthcare gone crazy. Bridges to nowhere.

The government affects me because they're running up a bill on the credit card that WILL HAVE TO BE PAYED SOMEHOW SOME WAY BY US OR OUR KIDS!

The time for tough love has come. I'm all for taking care of our people, but maybe it's time for us to do that at the community level, but helping our neighbors, instead of turning a blind eye but still feeling good because we payed tax money to fix the problem.

I'm all for helping the guy who falls and breaks his leg, loses his job, and then gets hit with a million in hospital bills (unfairly, but that's another story). But why should my tax money go to treat smokers who get lung cancer? Or people that eat hotdogs and Cheetos all day? Where do we draw the line?

How about this: We bailed out GM with our tax money, supposedly they are now a huge success story (and that's good), but this year they paid zero tax???? WTF? We bailed out the biggest fat cats on Wall Street and the Banking industry, while thousands of small businesses run by MIDDLE CLASS fail? And this by a liberal fed who is 'for' the middle.

Bottom Line: We need the Federal Gov, but we can't trust them. We need to limit its size, and limit its power. All politicians are corrupt. Let's not give them more and more of our money to piss away. Our kids will be paying it back!

Will R fix the problem? I doubt it. O definitely won't.

Actually Obama stands a much better chance of fixing the problem:

http://economistsview.typepad.com/economistsview/2012/10/whats-driving-projected-deficits.html



See that big fat orange part of the graph, the part that slopes steeply upward on the right? That's what Romney wants to make permanent. Okay, that's not exactly true, he wants to make those permanent and then lower the rates by another 20%. And he's going to eliminate the estate tax. And he's going to eliminate capital gains taxes on anyone making less than $200K AGI. And he's going to repeal the alternative minimum tax.

What does that add up to per year?

$500B.

And how is he going to keep this massive tax cut that mainly favors the very very very rich deficit neutral?

Magic.*

So, if we let the Bush tax cuts expire which is a modest increase in rates, debt-to-GDP stabilizes. Or you can go Obama's route which is raise rates on brackets over $250K keeping the brackets the same below that and get to the same place. But yeah, fuck Occam's Razor, slashing taxes seems so much more logical.

* Okay, not magic but balancing the budget on the backs of the poor through deep cuts in discretionary spending (non-military of course) the likes we've never seen. And he still can't get his budget deficit neutral without ending tax expenditures enjoyed by the middle class like the mortgage interest and state tax deductions, etc... which will essentially raise your taxes by around $2000/year. And even if he does that, he still doesn't make a dent in the debt** because he reduced revenues to a trickle.

** Actually the way he gets around this is to pick a growth target that makes his numbers work, but offers no elucidation on why we would expect to see his growth numbers. So this really is a case of "insert magic here".
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
October 11, 2012 04:16PM
Quote
frumby
The government affects me because they're running up a bill on the credit card that WILL HAVE TO BE PAYED SOMEHOW SOME WAY BY US OR OUR KIDS!

Why do you care? How did we pay for World War II? Wasn't that a time of MASSIVE government spending and debt followed by one of the largest periods of economic growth in the US? Why don't we follow the same model now to pay for current wars as we did then?

Medicare and health care costs are THE only place where we should be focusing efforts. Unregulate pharmaceuticals and take away the government mandated competitive edge and price gouging occurring and the Medicare budget would shrink. Pass legislation limiting the dollar amount of malpractice settlements, implement protection and quality scoring regulations including national oversight, electronic medical records, etc.

There's a drug, I can't recall it's name, but it's been in use since the 1800s. A few years back the FDA decided that it's efficacy needed to be really examined so they required all manufacturers but one to stop using it and gave the other exclusive rights to the marketing of the drug. The cost went from 0.70 per dose to $50 per dose nearly overnight. This cost Medicare around $50 million per year...
Compounding pharmacies can make just about any drug for less. My wife got prescribed an estrogen cream that would have cost $70 from a pharmacy. We made it for around $10. And it's not derived from horse urine like the pharmaceutical one. But the regulations are so against small pharmacies and so for the big manufacturers that they have a strangle hold.

I won't even get into medical research and Universities. DMIST is my favorite example of how to waste $26 million.
Fun fact, if you look at a nice cancer that hasn't gotten a ton of survival increase thanks to earlier detection, let's say lung cancer for example, there has been almost no improvement in survival or quality of life thanks to the past 40 years of research. Now they are spending millions looking for genetic risk factors for cancer. Face-palm. Genetics in theory should either be a slam dunk or a wiff. Huntington's Disease. Definitely genetic. Breast cancer. Definitely ENVIRONMENTAL.



Grant Hughes
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
October 11, 2012 07:28PM
I do not think Obama or Romney will solve the problem; back to my original post - the problem will be solved by the economy as a whole not by elected officials. Future Option 1) Growth gets going so well because of some new thing, such that tax revenue goes up, inflation picks up a bit and the tax base grows faster than government can spend the revenue. Think of the surplus while Clinton happened to be in office. Option 2) debt get so high T-bills are no longer attractive to buyers and government spending gets cut across the board because there is no more money - think several small European countries - but a little different due to scale.

On this issue - there is little real difference between the candidates as nigher has put forward a realistic plan that will address core issues that has even a remote chance of getting approved by all branches of government or working.

Everything in that graph past 2014 is full of big assumptions.



In the long run reality always wins.
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
October 23, 2012 10:15AM
'Merikuh, fawk yeah!




Read a interesting thing* about how the hedge funds of Mr Willard Robme made "between 15 million and 115 million" on the Gubbymint bail out of Delphi, which was promtly closed, and the workers laid off, and production moved to..........


to......

(come on, try and guess!)

to.................














Quote

*by Greg Palast | Truthout
Tuesday, October 23, 2012

He's kidding, right? Did I just hear Mitt Romney say, "I would do nothing to hurt the US auto industry"

Really? REALLY?

Here's the facts, ma'am:

As I reported in this week's Nation magazine cover story "Mitt Romney's Bail-out Bonanza", the Romneys are in a special partnership with the vulture fund that bought Delphi, the former GM auto parts division.

[Watch our Democracy Now! report on the Romney group's auto plant closures.]

The Romney vulture fund investment syndicate shipped every single UAW production job – EVERY job – to China.

Just after Nation broke the story, Washington newsletter The Hill received the Romneys admission of profiteering:

"Romney's campaign did not deny that he profited from the auto bailout in an email to The Hill, but it said the the report showed the Detroit intervention was 'misguided.'"

The truth? On June 1, 2009, the Obama Administration announced that Detroit Piston's owner Tom Gores, GM and the US Treasury would buy back Delphi. The plan called for saving 15 of 29 Delphi factories in the US.

Then the vulture funds pounced.

Nation discovered that, in the two weeks immediately following the announcement of the Delphi jobs-saving plan, Paul Singer, Romney's partner, secretly bought up over a billion dollars of old Delphi bonds for pennies on the dollar.

Singer and partners now controlled the company ... and killed the return of Delphi to GM.

These facts were revealed in a sworn deposition of Delphi's Chief Financial Officer John Sheehan, confidential, but now released on the web.

Sheehan said, under oath, that these speculators threatened to withhold key parts (steering columns), from GM. This would have brought the auto maker to its knees, immediately forcing GM's permanent closure.

The extortion worked. The government money that was supposed to go to save jobs went to Singer's hedge fund Elliott and its partners, including the Romneys.

Once Singer's crew took control of Delphi, they rapidly completed the move to China, sticking the US taxpayers with the bill for the pensions of the Delphi workers cut loose.

Dan Loeb, a million-dollar donor to the GOP, who made three-quarters of a billion dollars off the legal scam, proudly announced that, once he and Elliott took control, Delphi kept “virtually no North American unionized labor”

In all, three hedge funds run by Romney's million-dollar donors have pocketed $4.2 billion, a return on their "investment" of over 3,000%, all care of the US taxpayer. The Romneys personally earned minimum $15.3 million, though more likely $115 million – a range their campaign does not dispute.

Frankly, I'm no fan of the way Obama handled the Delphi bail-out. Allowing these speculators to crank the US taxpayers for $12.9 billion in subsidies – and losing almost all the auto parts jobs in the process.

But when I heard that Son of a ...Detroit, Mr. Romney, tell us, 'I would do nothing to hurt the US auto industry,' I thought I'd lose my dinner. I suggest Romney repeat this directly to the Naylor family of Kokomo, Indiana.

Bruce Naylor lost his job at Delphi, then his health insurance (terminated by the Romney syndicate) - then his home to foreclosure.

Should Obama have done something about that? You bet. If I were the president, I'd have started with putting the vulture speculators out of business – including Elliott's silent, hidden partner, one Mitt Romney.

* Want the full story of Romney's vulture-pack partners? I have several chapters on Paul "The Vulture" Singer and other million-dollar donor magnates backing Romney (and those backing Obama too) in my new book, "Billionaires & Ballot Bandits," with an introduction by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and illustrations by Ted Rall.

* And a question to the US media: HELLO, ANYBODY HOME?
This info on Romney's profiteering and the shipping of Delphi jobs to China by his cronies is on the COVER of Nation Magazine and in a New York Times bestseller (Billionaires & Ballot Bandits). So, where is the New York 'Paper of Record'? Or, for that matter, MSNBC?
Bill Press explained it to me when I was on his show this morning, "Sorry, Greg. There's no more investigative reporting in America. No reporters, just repeaters."

That's why I fear Jimmy Carter's statement that, "The American people deserve a president as good as they are." Now I'm afraid that's exactly what we'


Romnesia reigns.



John Vanlandingham
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
October 24, 2012 04:38PM
I saw this and thought of our phone conversation the other day John with reference to Ben Stein. Those who quoted him then won't do so now.

Ben Stein says raise taxes
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
October 24, 2012 09:03PM
Sorry folks,

We are not voting our way out of this mess. All we are picking is how fast over the cliff we're going to be going.

Deficit spending has both R's and D's behind it. It isn't a Bush thing or an Obama thing. IT goes back a looooooong way.

A long time ago, the government was funded by modest import taxes. That was all the income the government had. It worked pretty darn well too.

just my $0.02



It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism, while the wolf remains of a different opinion.
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
October 28, 2012 02:00PM






This about sums it up, this one subject shows the fools for what they are: sick fucks no different from the Taliban:
http://s3.amazonaws.com/dk-production/images/8869/large/gop_rape_advisory.gif



With thanks to the few good people at Turbobricks.



John Vanlandingham
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Wannabe
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
November 05, 2012 02:28AM
Only back for a bit and with the big day nearing and John since you gave me a blow by blow on your logical ballot selections. I thought I would share my Sunday morning.....

Over a cup of coffee I opened my ballot and scanned right to the most juicy topics:

Obama (check), it's a tough job and he's done well for science, education and the environment my favorite topics(check)
Sea Wall Repair on Alaska Way Prop (check), I'd like to make sure if I walk along the piers of the Puget Sound I'm not going to suddenly fall in (check)
Legalized Marywanna: (check) it just saves lives!!!
Gay marriage (Gong): Man/Woman=marriage anything else is just too trendy for this old fashioned thinker.
Increase tax for small businesses: (Check) Apparently a huge tax break was given without voters approval that cost our city dearly. People abusing it, businesses for this or that, that likely should have never been operating to begin with failing etc.

The rest...boring but signed sealed and ready to drop in the box on Tuesday. I didn't get to vote John on some of your good topics but my ballot was pretty fun too!

Talk to you in December! Take care everyone smiling smiley
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
November 12, 2012 06:31PM
I'm happy to know that if the love of my life (if I ever find one) ends up being a woman, I'll still be able to get married. Thanks WA.

I'm also sure that all the lawyers will make even more money now that there is the chance for more divorces tongue sticking out smiley
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Mike Mc
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
November 13, 2012 04:58PM
I wonder how many folks in a gay relationship are now going "Crap, I don't want to get married! How can I get out of this! WHAT HAVE I DONE!?!"

Welcome to marital bliss, suckers.
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
November 13, 2012 06:44PM
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Mike Mc
I wonder how many folks in a gay relationship are now going "Crap, I don't want to get married! How can I get out of this! WHAT HAVE I DONE!?!"

Welcome to marital bliss, suckers.

hahahahaha, so true!

equal suffering for all, no reason gays can't be as unhappily married as straight people

after all, gays have been getting married for years, just not to each other tongue sticking out smiley
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Wannabe
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
December 02, 2012 08:22PM
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12xalt
I'm happy to know that if the love of my life (if I ever find one) ends up being a woman, I'll still be able to get married. Thanks WA.

I'm also sure that all the lawyers will make even more money now that there is the chance for more divorces tongue sticking out smiley



Hey there...Was out for a Sunday drive looking for just the perfect little Charlie Brown tree and saw this really awesome sight today ...

Thought I'd share....just for you.....

If you decide to make it a destination wedding just make sure you appreciate Mother Nautre winking smiley

Meanwhile all of Washington's marijuana drug dealers are now scratching their heads with bus tickets to Portland...Thanks OR!!! smoking smiley







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12xalt
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
December 07, 2012 01:04PM
That's a tall rainbow!

I already live where I'd consider it to be a destination tongue sticking out smiley

Did you find your tree? I haven't decided yet if I'm going to get a real one or let the roommate put up his fake one.

I think I'm with my coworker on fake trees though, if it's going to be a fake tree it should be really really obvious it's fake, like bright pink or red or purple or lime green or turquoise, etc. The roommate's tree is green and tries to look like a real one but fails imo.
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
December 09, 2012 01:14PM
I did find one....Rescued it from the side of short cliff as it was nearly falling into the creek winking smiley I'll share some pics later.

Here's my 2 cents on trees.

Oregon has the best! You have us beat here, your trees are like huge magical creatures. I would go out and find a much smaller one and chop it down (in an approved spot of course). It's better for the environment and the smell is awesome! Trees are like flowers in our part of the world....we can pick them knowing Mother Nature will give them back again.

But if you want funky....go to your nearby Salvation Army or Goodwill and pick up a used one and a couple cans of spray pain smiling smiley
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Wannabe
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Re: Is this place really that apolitical?
December 10, 2012 01:29AM
OK....here ya go....

From the base of Mt. Si to downtown Seattle. My tribute to Mother Nature (God's right hand-gal), white-winged doves (which are beautiful) and Stevie Nicks (who I'm just now realizing totally rocks).

Something different with deep personal meaning I'll have to share over a beer with you sometime!

Have fun with your tree...and mine grinning smiley







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