AEON
Rock n' Roll Doggie Band-aid
You have the record that I have seen for the most amount of non sense in the shortest period of time right now.
At least you are giving me some credit
You have the record that I have seen for the most amount of non sense in the shortest period of time right now.
Oh, I don't mind. The bright colors and extra large fonts you use while questioning my integrity and intelligence are slightly amusing. Of course, I’ve become a tad bit used to it in FYM over the years. However, occasionally, rational discourse does take place and a good point is acknowledged. Most people in here understand that each of us has limited time and cannot answer every question in the depth it probably deserves – or we try to answer a few questions from different people with one post in the hopes it covers the general idea of our premise. We also try our best with the resources and time available to add weight to the thoughts we share. Occasionally, I will dust off old college books – otherwise I will go online for sources. The truth is – both sides of just about any argument can find sources to back up their opinion.
You seem like an educated, passionate young person. I am personally not a big fan of passion. Too much passion is too much emotion, and we cannot control our minds (and most especially our words) when we are ruled by emotion. From the great Epictetus, “No one is free who is not master of himself.”
You can ignore what Epictetus is saying here (which is mirrored in the great teachings of Buddhism, Christianity, Gnosticism…etc) or you can step back – and really consider what that means. Even though we are online, and I can’t see your face – the real you is shining through. And I don’t imagine you want to be the type of person that shouts his opinions with a blow horn and quickly judges the integrity of his opponents. Such a person will eventually look around…and find that nobody is listening.
At least you are giving me some credit
After some additional research, I see that the CBO and OECD do in fact use different calculations to determine revenue to GDP estimates. Thank you for pointing that out and I apologize for the confusion.
It is the CBO’s version, and not the OECD’s, which is historically at 18.3 percent. According the CBO report, “Over the 2010–2019 period, under the assumptions for CBO’s baseline, total outlays would average 23.4 percent of GDP” (pp. 3) – still a significant increase.
You’re welcome.You said I seem like a passionate and informed young man, and truly, thank you for the compliment!
You’re welcome.I noticed in your profile that you are in the National Guard, so thank you for serving our country!
Agreed.U2 fan to U2 fan, neither one of us could be that bad!
Definitely.I think we are alright now, maybe a little closer to understanding each other.
You’re welcome.
You’re welcome.
Agreed.
Definitely.
Yes, outlays. Meaning spending. Not revenue
Which is still a problem of course, as 23.4 for spending compared to 18 for revenues is quite an imbalance.
and know that the tone I took will never be back.
Deep, I realize I have misinterpreted some of your posts in the past and jumped down your throat because I actually thought you were some teenaged troll! For that I apologize, and I've been meaning to say as much for a while!
You seem to spend a lot of time doing the same kind of analysis!
So what do I think?
I have as good an idea as you!!
We are in April, not September for one!
I am objective here, not trying to say that any number you throw up is going to be false on its face, just saying that it is a FACT, just as sure as the sun will rise in the East .
does the sun rise in the east, and go around the earth?
is that a fact?
I was 8 goddamn years old at the time and I know that McVeigh was motivated by the anti government ideology of any number of militias who espouse the same and praised and supported him.
Stop with the b.s. It is getting old.
That is a response to my pointing out record investigations of death threats by the independent, nonpartisan secret service? I am confused.
Obama is not instructing them to investigate this shit to take advantage of the fact that some whackos are trying to kill him to gain sympathy with voters.
The guys with the training, the guns and The Escalades are a serious bunch and they don't roll with the political climate by any means.
Again, use your common sense. There has been an extreme surge in anti government, white supremacist violence, the same kind that influenced Oklahoma City. Only now it is directed in many ways at the President.
Other people here post non sense, and I have seen enough of it over time!
You have the record that I have seen for the most amount of non sense in the shortest period of time right now.
That was over the line a bit, my apologies!
and some take the time to re-evaluate what they post
Yes, and Richardson was the only border state guy in the primary, so he knew what he was talking about on the issue. Same with McCain on the Republican side, he, very admirably, has never given up on his sane stance on immigration.
Kucinich is a smart guy, I admire him personally, though he is well to the left of my views. Given the fact that the public had long since realized that Bush was bullshitting on the Iraq war by 2008, Kucinich was a victim, not of his message, which was almost single handedly outrage over the fact that Romney, McCain and Rudy wanted to continue it, but of the sad way we choose candidates to hold the highest office in the world.
You are 100% right, Obama should keep reaching out and his doing so is certainly part of an organized chaos type method. He can say "hey, look at all my good faith efforts, and look at the Republicans stamping their feet, taking their ball and going home after saying NO to all of them."
As for going Bush-like as some suggest, I think they are suggesting TACTICS, not ideological extremes. Bush used reconciliation plenty, passed things with nowhere near 60 as he never came close to having 60 Republicans. I mean, Obama gets tagged as a dictator for passing something with, God forbid, a majority of Congress much bigger than Bush ever had and just short of 60 votes in the Senate. The 'liberal" media has gone along with this- remember them asking Obama and his advisers if they were concerned about going forward without 60 votes, or without any Republican support? Sickening. They never called Bush out for trying to eliminate the entire filibuster over a couple of neanderthal judges that Scott Brown type Republicans were repulsed by.
Speaking of Scott Brown, listening to the media and the cowardly lion Democrats, you would think that his victory had ushered in a Republican majority of 41 votes.
Obama has already gone Bush, and rightfully so, to pass the stimulus and health care. I support that wholeheartedly, and could care less that not a single Republican supported it. Because Republicans don't support it does not make it an extreme leftist bill. In fact, health care reform was loaded with Republican ideas.
What I commended Obama for doing was not moving left on trade and health care to match Hillary in the primaries, and I continue to commend him for passing moderate health and student loan reforms while proposing a modest climate change bill(not a carbon tax). Contrast that to Bush who never won anywhere near as many popular or electoral votes as Obama coming in in 2005 after squeaking to re election and proposing to get rid of Social Security. That was after he boasted of having a ton of "political capital" on election night. The media nodded. When Obama told Eric Cantor that he was getting his way on the Making Work Pay tax cut because he won the election, Cantor cried "dictator" and the media went and ran with it.
Either way, Katrina and Iraq did not take down the Bush Presidency, they just put the final nail in a Presidency that had already been BADLY wounded by over reaching on Social Security!
Yes, great discussion on (almost) everyone's account!
Angela, see you around, look forward to your posts!
I just personally want Obama to put legislation through because he genuinely thinks it's what's best for the country, not because he's trying to please one group of people or another. Like I said before, if a president makes a law and there's a logical, good reason behind it, whether I personally agree with the law or not, I'll respect the decision because of the intelligence involved in making it.
That's all (that and the fact that a lot of people weren't that enthused about Kerry. I voted for Kerry, but I know others weren't all that impressed by him).
Maybe the caustic response to a fair question I've ever seen on this forum.
Though the legal and moral culpability is entirely on these 2 individuals, the Oklahoma City bombers, McVeigh and Nichols, did not exist in isolation, there was a context to and some motivating ideologies behind them. We can't ignore the context in which this violent, militant hatred of government came about. McVeigh cited this type of hatred as part of his motivations, and so have many people with no political ax to grind, like the Secret Service and media figures. It is no coincidence that the 15th anniversary of Oklahoma City has spurred a discussion of the rise in militia type violent ideologies of late. It is widely known they were behind the Oklahoma City bombings.
I for one will no longer waste my right-wing-white supremacist hate engaging this poster
U2387 said:I have no interest in getting personal with you or anyone.
Based on your question, I presume you are against the Health Reform.
I hold the view that only a free market approach to health care is the best possible solution. Please do not confuse today’s state-sponsored insurance cartel with the free market – for I assure you, it is far from that.Terry Michael said:Of course, we already have both free-market and government-run health care, which is the other great obstacle to reform. We have the worst of both worlds, with government Medicare and Medicaid providing a big pile of increasingly deficit-financed dollars sitting aside another mountain of cash generated by mostly tax exempt, employer-provided insurance coverage. Both of these mounds of free moolah discourage any consideration of price while they encourage demand. Doctors, hospitals, and Big Pharma do their best to Hoover suck billions from both piles.
Ackbar smells a trap…Can you tell us what costs and program your family uses for Health Care?
It doesn’t take much imagination to see the pitfalls that will occur when bureaucrats attempt to enter the implementation stage of an undesigned, unpopular public policy creation. The results are likely to be even worse than the 1000 percent error made in projecting eventual Medicare costs when that program was adopted in the 1960s. Today, Medicare is eating tax dollars like some hungry Godzilla. In a few years, ObamaPelosiCare will make that monster look like a little lizard
Do you think it is possible that rational people can be skeptical that government run health care will reduce costs while simultaneously improving care and expanding coverage?
It doesn’t take much imagination to see the pitfalls that will occur when bureaucrats attempt to enter the implementation stage of an undesigned, unpopular public policy creation. The results are likely to be even worse than the 1000 percent error made in projecting eventual Medicare costs when that program was adopted in the 1960s. Today, Medicare is eating tax dollars like some hungry Godzilla. In a few years, ObamaPelosiCare will make that monster look like a little lizard