Politics

[Buster Bluth]

Cruz demanded financial disclosures from Hagel covering five years, three more than required, the News reported, and the Texan said that without that, the "only reasonable inference" is that "there was something in there that they did not want to make public."

I wonder where Cruz stood on Romney's taxes? The guy is a clown show.

What was your stance on Romney's taxes, and does that make you a clown show too?

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

What was your stance on Romney's taxes, and does that make you a clown show too?

I think they all should make at least 5-10 years public.
Cruz is a hypocrite and is proving himself to be the biggest clown in the senate in his short time there. Impressive feat.
I might be a clown show too, but I'm not out there showing the world. Are you a clown show as well?

 

[chicago51]

Cruz demanded financial disclosures from Hagel covering five years, three more than required, the News reported, and the Texan said that without that, the "only reasonable inference" is that "there was something in there that they did not want to make public."

I wonder where Cruz stood on Romney's taxes? The guy is a clown show.

The thing is there was no questions regarding any financial foul play with Hagel during the hearing. If this really an issue how come they did not call him on it at the hearing? They waited till after the fact because it is made up.

As I mentioned all they did was grill him on his foreign policy stance which is pointless because it is Obama's policy that matters. What matters is that he is qualified to run the Pentagon and he is.

One issue that has been largely unnoticed is rape of female troops in our own military. We need stop this because I as an American man like to think that we are better than this. This something the secretary of defense has jurisdiction over and does not require presidential oversight to crack down on. There was exactly one question on this at the hearing.

 

[Irish Houstonian]

Elizabeth Warren is awesome...I wish more were like her.

There used to be more, but her tribe was decimated by smallpox.

 

[Ultimate Penn St. Hater]

I don't care if Warren claimed to be a quarter Martian as long as she continues going after big banks. She has the guts to do what none of her colleagues who are owned by special interest won't do.

 

[chicago51]

I don't care if Warren claimed to be a quarter Martian as long as she continues going after big banks. She has the guts to do what none of her colleagues who are owned by special interest won't do.

I have to say I am liking some of these new school democrats like Warren and Jeff Merkley of Oregon. They are fighting for the people. Tom Harkin IA Bernie Sanders VT Barbara Boxer CA and Sherrod Brown OH are some vets that do a good job as well.

We got too many Harry Reid's that rather play politics than get stuff done. We got to be careful we don't get like the GOP and start primaring moderate DEMS in red states like WV MT AR AK were we actually have senators that somehow win in but we get a bit more aggressive in primaries in true blue states.

 

[Black Irish]

Sounds good on paper, but in practice people go hungry and can't afford medical treatment. And before I get the argument that nobody is turned away by hospitals, the fact is that MANY don't go to the hospital, even when they are sick or injured because they, too, believe in individual dignity. Conservatives do not have a moral monopoly on being proud or believing deeply in personal responsibility. The situations that many find themselves in give them no other choice than to accept help, no matter how dehumanizing and lowly it makes them feel. It does not help when conservatives' tough love rhetoric dehumanizes them even further. Your post above sounds good -- even reasonable -- in a vacuum, but the real world doens't exist in a vacuum. For many, it exists in crowded, dirty, crime ridden neighborhoods with poorly performing schools full of children of single parents and no current opportunities and none on the horizon. When republicans suggest that these folks should just pull themselves up by their bootstraps, stand up tall, and go out and make your way in life it comes off as insulting, out of touch and even mean spirited to people who are stuck in terrible circumstances with no prospects of improvement. These people came out in numbers and stood in line for hours to vote against the GOPs self-righteous approach to poverty as well as a slew of other issues in which the GOP looks down on others.

So you send the police into the crime-ridden neighborhoods tho clean things up. But then citizens groups start crying racial profiling and police state. You try to improve conditions in the schools, then the teachers unions and school boards rail against the heavy-handed top down approach. Civic-minded developers build affordable housing units in sketchy parts of town, then have to convert them all to section 8 in a few years because that's the only way they can maintain a steady rent cash flow. It's not like people aren't trying to improve things.

Unfortunately, some of the more effective and creative grass roots community improvement projects get shot down because they are intruding on the government's turf. Some of the black street gangs of the 60s actually started as community activists who were making some real progress until they went off the rails for various reasons. Other non-profits face similar hurdles in getting things done in the face of the government. I'm not advocating for a "you're on your own" philosophy. Give help where it is needed, but with a dose of tough love. People do need motivation. Someone who isn't a complete bum will go out and find a job if there isn't going to be a check in the mail next week. Ask the illegal immigrants who are working 2-3 jobs to support their families.

 

[Black Irish]

BTW, what's going on with the quote attributions? We're responding to quotes with the wrong posters names attached to them. If we're going to have ideological pissing contests, at least we should do it according to Hoyle.

 

[chicago51]

BTW, what's going on with the quote attributions? We're responding to quotes with the wrong posters names attached to them. If we're going to have ideological pissing contests, at least we should do it according to Hoyle.

I was about to say that. Because I don't recall posting that quote above.

 

[GoIrish41]

I think what is going on is that when you are responding to a poster who responded to another poster, that other poster is at the top of your new post. (there has to be an more concise way of saying that). This is new I believe. I don't remember it being this way in the past.

 

[Patulski]

I'm not advocating for a "you're on your own" philosophy. Give help where it is needed, but with a dose of tough love. People do need motivation. Someone who isn't a complete bum will go out and find a job if there isn't going to be a check in the mail next week. Ask the illegal immigrants who are working 2-3 jobs to support their families.

I grew up in a rust belt town where there were many manufacturing jobs. All are gone now. Where there was once a manufacturing job with good pay, benefits and a pension there is now a job at a fast food restaurant where you can work 40 hours with no pension and barely live above the poverty line.

The fact is that our corporations are benefiting from our very expensive military hegemony, which keeps trade safe, while giving little back to our country. The balance of corporate profit/corporate responsibility needs to be restored, or we need to accept bigger government to fill in the gaps of a populace that is left behind by technology and world trade.

The technology is going to get even more pervasive unless we determine that, for the good of our country, profitable technology advances are not more important than human and cultural needs. People need to work and feel like their work is leading them to a more secure future. When that path to relative prosperity disappears for too many people, you have a recipe for disaster and the makings of the oligarchy that we are steadily becoming. Show me a successful oligarchic nation? They all become disasters.

 

[Buster Bluth]

The technology is going to get even more pervasive unless we determine that, for the good of our country, profitable technology advances are not more important than human and cultural needs. People need to work and feel like their work is leading them to a more secure future. When that path to relative prosperity disappears for too many people, you have a recipe for disaster and the makings of the oligarchy that we are steadily becoming. Show me a successful oligarchic nation? They all become disasters.

I have mixed feelings on this. For starters, I seriously doubt it could even be stopped. Technological progress is unavoidable and has numerous benefits. Everything is cheaper and better than ever before. "Classical poverty" is basically nonexistent in the western world, that says something.

I don't think people "need" to work. I think it has been the case for all of human history, but I don't think it will always be that way. I really believe that in a hundred years we will be in a post-work society, for better or for worse it's going to happen.

I think it's the most interesting question existing today though...what happens when unemployment for high school graduates is 40%? What about 60%? It's a scary thought. Off the top of my head, I can only see the trades, mining, etc being real jobs in thirty years. It's pretty tough to automate an electrician or road pavement. But women are huge minorities in those fields, what do they do?

Economic oligarchies do have benefits. Simple Economics of Scale show us that. As long as proper competition exists (and I don't think it does in the US), it's not a bad setup. It's important to recognize that small businesses aren't totally eliminated, it's just that the markets are bifurcated. Small niche companies exist, and the huge corporate behemoths dominate the market. In theory, that's not bad. In reality, lobbyists make small business a bigger struggle than it should be.

Lastly, its also important to recognize that the big corporate behemoths are constantly crushed, too. Where is Kodak today?

 

[Buster Bluth]

Some really really awesome lectures from Yale. This guy is the man:

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4MArzSSF7WU?list=PL3BBB63B37CC958D8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/3p1sW9aIQ-Y?list=PL3BBB63B37CC958D8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/-pCfJOj8QSo?list=PL3BBB63B37CC958D8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

 

[chicago51]

I grew up in a rust belt town where there were many manufacturing jobs. All are gone now. Where there was once a manufacturing job with good pay, benefits and a pension there is now a job at a fast food restaurant where you can work 40 hours with no pension and barely live above the poverty line.

The fact is that our corporations are benefiting from our very expensive military hegemony, which keeps trade safe, while giving little back to our country. The balance of corporate profit/corporate responsibility needs to be restored, or we need to accept bigger government to fill in the gaps of a populace that is left behind by technology and world trade.

The technology is going to get even more pervasive unless we determine that, for the good of our country, profitable technology advances are not more important than human and cultural needs. People need to work and feel like their work is leading them to a more secure future. When that path to relative prosperity disappears for too many people, you have a recipe for disaster and the makings of the oligarchy that we are steadily becoming. Show me a successful oligarchic nation? They all become disasters.

Yes I am the son of a factory worker. Fortunately my dad is pretty high skilled so he been able to bounce around and find work.

I read some stuff from Obama from when he was a state senator. He believed in American manufacturing but recognize the threat of low wage countries and new technology. He said then that government intervention was necessary.

If you think about manufacturing is important for security. Manufacturing pretty much won ww2. As of right now we are not capable as a nation of matching that type of production.

The article I read said the Obama had so much deal with the financial crisis early on. Then it was reelection time before he new it. The writer says he expects Obama to really fight for manufacturing in his second term because he believes in it. I hope the writer is right because while I am going into health care I come from a factory family that wants to see manufacturing thrive.

 

[chicago51]

I have mixed feelings on this. For starters, I seriously doubt it could even be stopped. Technological progress is unavoidable and has numerous benefits. Everything is cheaper and better than ever before. "Classical poverty" is basically nonexistent in the western world, that says something.

I don't think people "need" to work. I think it has been the case for all of human history, but I don't think it will always be that way. I really believe that in a hundred years we will be in a post-work society, for better or for worse it's going to happen.

I think it's the most interesting question existing today though...what happens when unemployment for high school graduates is 40%? What about 60%? It's a scary thought. Off the top of my head, I can only see the trades, mining, etc being real jobs in thirty years. It's pretty tough to automate an electrician or road pavement. But women are huge minorities in those fields, what do they do?

Economic oligarchies do have benefits. Simple Economics of Scale show us that. As long as proper competition exists (and I don't think it does in the US), it's not a bad setup. It's important to recognize that small businesses aren't totally eliminated, it's just that the markets are bifurcated. Small niche companies exist, and the huge corporate behemoths dominate the market. In theory, that's not bad. In reality, lobbyists make small business a bigger struggle than it should be.

Lastly, its also important to recognize that the big corporate behemoths are constantly crushed, too. Where is Kodak today?

Buster you raise some really good points in this post.

I think the 10 to maybe 20 year short term there is stuff that we can do with trade laws and smarter if not necessary larger investments that can help manufacturing.

Long term though I mean really long term their may not be enough jobs to meet the need. You are going have starving people turning criminal if the unemployment hits the number you suggested unless society really does change and we become some sort of post work society.

 

[Buster Bluth]

If you think about manufacturing is important for security. Manufacturing pretty much won ww2. As of right now we are not capable as a nation of matching that type of production.

Yes we absolutely are capable of that. The manufacturing power of this country is better than ever before.

And Russia won World War II, with or without a single US factory.

I hope the writer is right because while I am going into health care I come from a factory family that wants to see manufacturing thrive.

Just because manufacturing thrives doesn't mean they will hire people. That is the entire issue.

 

[Patulski]

I don't think people "need" to work. I think it has been the case for all of human history, but I don't think it will always be that way. I really believe that in a hundred years we will be in a post-work society, for better or for worse it's going to happen.

I think it would be a disaster. Consider a country of 350 million people where robots do all the work, but 2% of the people own 90% of the wealth and can buy the government. That's what we'd be looking at. The outcome would be a police state imo.

Interesting stuff though. Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Buster Bluth]

I think it would be a disaster. Consider a country of 350 million people where robots do all the work, but 2% of the people own 90% of the wealth and can buy the government. That's what we'd be looking at. The outcome would be a police state imo.

Interesting stuff though. Thanks for your thoughts.

I don't know about the police state dealio, but it's certainly a possibility.

But yeah, the second sentence looks like it would happen.

 

[Patulski]

Buster you raise some really good points in this post.

I think the 10 to maybe 20 year short term there is stuff that we can do with trade laws and smarter if not necessary larger investments that can help manufacturing.

That would require workers having more rights like Germany, which by the way has created a high-wage, unionized economy without shipping all its jobs abroad or creating a massive trade deficit, or any trade deficit at all.

And even as the Germans outsell the United States, they manage to take six weeks of vacation every year, have universal health care and have a free college education system.

But I fear that we're still heading in the opposite direction, despite the fact that the financialization of our economy has been so disastrous for the many, while being so profitable for the few

 

[chicago51]

That would require workers having more rights like Germany, lwhich by the way has created a high-wage, unionized economy without shipping all its jobs abroad or creating a massive trade deficit, or any trade deficit at all.

And even as the Germans outsell the United States, they manage to take six weeks of vacation every year, have universal health care and have a free college education system.

But I fear that we're still heading in the opposite direction, despite the fact that the financialization of our economy has been so disastrous for the many, while being so profitable for the few

Germany is single handily saving the Euro right now. About 60 percent of their country is solar powered and no they do not get more sun than the US and nothing like Arizona. They are doing things right as an optimist I think American will get better.

I think more people are starting to realize Reaganomics is a fraud and we have to get back to what we used to be.

President Obama is not perfect but I think he is trying to help people. I think Harry Reid needs to take cloture on every filibuster and Obama needs call out Congress when popular proposals die.

Even though Obama is not going be on the ballot in 2014 he needs to essentially run an election against the do the nothing Congress we have. If the democrats take back the House of Representatives and if they can hold the Senate despite having to defend in 7 red states 4 which they have long time moderates in that should be okay; then Harry Reid will change the filibuster. You could see and FDR type presidency the last 2 years.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Germany is single handily saving the Euro right now. About 60 percent of their country is solar powered and no they do not get more sun than the US and nothing like Arizona. They are doing things right as an optimist I think American will get better.

I think more people are starting to realize Reaganomics is a fraud and we have to get back to what we used to be.

President Obama is not perfect but I think he is trying to help people. I think Harry Reid needs to take cloture on every filibuster and Obama needs call out Congress when popular proposals die.

Even though Obama is not going be on the ballot in 2014 he needs to essentially run an election against the do the nothing Congress we have. If the democrats take back the House of Representatives and if they can hold the Senate despite having to defend in 7 red states 4 which they have long time moderates in that should be okay; then Harry Reid will change the filibuster. You could see and FDR type presidency the last 2 years.

Can you name me some policies with which you disagree with Obama and the Democratic Party?

 

[Buster Bluth]

That would require workers having more rights like Germany, which by the way has created a high-wage, unionized economy without shipping all its jobs abroad or creating a massive trade deficit, or any trade deficit at all.

And even as the Germans outsell the United States, they manage to take six weeks of vacation every year, have universal health care and have a free college education system.

But I fear that we're still heading in the opposite direction, despite the fact that the financialization of our economy has been so disastrous for the many, while being so profitable for the few

Workers Rights often means higher wages, which inevitably means that you're most likely to be replaced by a machine.

Perhaps we should look at Germany and take up austerity too?

For what it's worth, Germany isn't all sunshine at the moment, recession fears loom.

With GDP Slip, German Economy 'Finally Lost Its Invincibility' : The Two-Way : NPR

 

[chicago51]

Can you name me some policies with which you disagree with Obama and the Democratic Party?

I am pretty much fully liberal on the polictical spectrum.

It does tick me off though when what I feel are good ideas don't sucede because they are ran like crap.

Also didn't like the let's be bipartison Obama. He walk to the middle and the GOP would walk two steps back to the right. That is how the sequester happened in the first place. Obama got walked out too far to the right. A majority of democrats in both chambers said no.

An aside on the sequester: I don't think the defense cuts aspect on it is completely horridle. I think it is too much too be cut all at once like it will be. I also think it will be handled badly as the Pentagon waste will continue and projects that do add jobs will be cut back. We need to audit the Pentagon. One thing about austerity which I am not in favor of is that it is easier when you don't have this global empire to run.

 

[potownhero]

Fraud?

Fraud?

Germany is single handily saving the Euro right now. About 60 percent of their country is solar powered and no they do not get more sun than the US and nothing like Arizona. They are doing things right as an optimist I think American will get better.

I think more people are starting to realize Reaganomics is a fraud and we have to get back to what we used to be.

President Obama is not perfect but I think he is trying to help people. I think Harry Reid needs to take cloture on every filibuster and Obama needs call out Congress when popular proposals die.

Even though Obama is not going be on the ballot in 2014 he needs to essentially run an election against the do the nothing Congress we have. If the democrats take back the House of Representatives and if they can hold the Senate despite having to defend in 7 red states 4 which they have long time moderates in that should be okay; then Harry Reid will change the filibuster. You could see and FDR type presidency the last 2 years.

Reaganomics is a Fraud?

Your comment reminds me of one of Reagan's quotes:

"The trouble with liberals is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so."

For Example, above you said that about "60% of Germany is solar powered". Give me one source that confirms that.

Otherwise, you're the fraud.

 

[chicago51]

Reaganomics is a Fraud?

Your comment reminds me of one of Reagan's quotes:

"The trouble with liberals is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so."

For Example, above you said that about "60% of Germany is solar powered". Give me one source that confirms that.

Otherwise, you're the fraud.

I type that kind of wrong. Germany has increased its solar power by 60 percent this past year. In fact each of the past couple years. They are somewhere in the 12 to 15 percent range which is very good.

You can google this and get tons of stuff backing this up

 

[chicago51]

Reaganomics is a Fraud?

Your comment reminds me of one of Reagan's quotes:

"The trouble with liberals is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so."

For Example, above you said that about "60% of Germany is solar powered". Give me one source that confirms that.

Otherwise, you're the fraud.

Since 1980 the national debt has exploded with the exception for some stable years with Bill Clinton.

Since 1980 we have seen a large growing gap in income inequality. By the though you link at nations with largest income inequality they have the largest rate of violence. Which we have seen an increase of.

The idea with Reaganomics is that by cutting at the top the income will trickle down. We agree here with what concept of Reaganomics is right?

Well the income has stayed at the top and has not reached the bottom. You can argue that it is part of capitalism and that our overall wealth has increased. You can not argue the twickle down aspect of Reaganomics seceded because every income distribution chart shows it failed.

 

[Buster Bluth]

Germany is single handily saving the Euro right now. About 60 percent of their country is solar powered and no they do not get more sun than the US and nothing like Arizona. They are doing things right as an optimist I think American will get better.

to this?

I type that kind of wrong. Germany has increased its solar power by 60 percent this past year. In fact each of the past couple years. They are somewhere in the 12 to 15 percent range which is very good.

You can google this and get tons of stuff backing this up

 

[Buster Bluth]

I don't think that you are "fully liberal." I think you hear/read some Democratic talking points and treat it as gospel.

You're calling yourself "fully liberal," and you have on here said that Obama has been a very moderate President, and you can't even name some big disagreements you have? Honestly that just sorta smells like the inability to have independent thoughts, to me.

 

[chicago51]

I don't think that you are "fully liberal." I think you hear/read some Democratic talking points and treat it as gospel.

You're calling yourself "fully liberal," and you have on here said that Obama has been a very moderate President, and you can't even name some big disagreements you have? Honestly that just sorta smells like the inability to have independent thoughts, to me.

You make a fair point in terms of what I expose myself to. You recommend anything were can get an honest alternative view. Not saying I'll agree but I will consider things? No I am not going to watch Fox News.

 

[GoIrish41]

I don't think that you are "fully liberal." I think you hear/read some Democratic talking points and treat it as gospel.

You're calling yourself "fully liberal," and you have on here said that Obama has been a very moderate President, and you can't even name some big disagreements you have? Honestly that just sorta smells like the inability to have independent thoughts, to me.

You are a smart guy and you have had more than a few thought provoking posts in this thread, but I just don't get your apparent need to dress people down like this. There really isn't any need for this sort of thing. You'd be a much better poster if you just kept your personal opinions about other posters to yourself and just stayed on topic.