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| Name: |
lotowner
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| Subject: |
Our Country
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Date:
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2/24/2011 10:32:14 PM
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- Absolutely zero leadership by Obama - Is he even capable?
- State government officials (DEMOCRATS) leaving the state rather than participating in the governing process
- Qaddafi not being charged for the Pan Am bombing
- States Bankrupt
- Border agents being murdered
Folks - Our country is in a mess and the ship is being driven by the winds and no one is at the rudder. I pray that we can stay away from the rocks
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Our Country
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Date:
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2/25/2011 9:05:12 AM
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The stock market gains.
People participating in democracy by exercising their freedom speech. And pubic employees are now the new "enemy". So much easier to crush than the bad guys in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
The Republicans are in control of the house and are going to solve our deficit problems by unfunding Planned Parenthood and NPR.
People in the Middle East are toppling old dictatorships for democracy.
Despite the high price, gas is still plentiful.
Consumer confidence is returning and people are returning to their old spending habits.
It's all a matter of perspective. Our country is healing!!
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| Name: |
lamont
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| Subject: |
Concerned....
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Date:
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2/25/2011 10:04:13 AM
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We will see what kind of "democracies" prevail in the Middle East. I'm not quite as optimistic as you Hound however, in certain countries, I don't think the new government could possibly be any worse. See Kadafi(sp?)
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Our Country
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Date:
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2/25/2011 10:57:55 AM
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"The stock market gains." Still 2,000 points below its historical high but good news that it is slowly recovering and hopefully will continue to do so.
Will still continue to be volatile and corrections.
"People participating in democracy by exercising their freedom speech.
" Gee, I don't recall you celebrating the tea party and in fact you made quite a few derogatory comments about these people. Nothing to say about the bused in union thugs using all the violent language and putting the Governor's face on Mubarak and Hitler bodies? I am all for this exercise of freedom of assembly and freedom of speech but only if it applies to all groups, even the ones you don't like.
"And pubic employees are now the new "enemy". So much easier to crush
than the bad guys in Afghanistan and Pakistan." Public unions have lost the public trust because of their pillaging of government coffers in collusion with Democrats that in turn reap the benefits of hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars supporting their reelection. Besides, the Governors of states are not responsible for national security. That is the Messiah's job and one that he is doing poorly in my view. So some of the Governors are limiting the power of public unions. If people don't like it they can move to another state that loves the public unions.....except none of them have any jobs because these states are so anti-business they have fled to more hospitable states.
"The Republicans are in control of the house and are going to solve our
deficit problems by unfunding Planned Parenthood and NPR." Oh there will be a lot more that will be cut that these programs but these are two that need to go away for sure. The GOP has proposed $61B in cuts this year. The total funding of NPR and Planned Parenthood is but a tiny fraction of that amount. And all this is just the beginning.......
"People in the Middle East are toppling old dictatorships for democracy." Lets hope so but I think it is way too early to make this statement.
"Despite the high price, gas is still plentiful." High prices caused by government intervention in free markets, plentiful gasoline caused by private companies doing what they do best, even in the face of government interference.
"Consumer confidence is returning and people are returning to their old
spending habits." Agree that consumer confidence and spending are slowly improving but still low when compared to historical trends. Biggest problem is the lack of improvement in the jobs index which is still lagging for obvious reasons. Also, oil price surges could dampen consumer spending. Lets hope oil prices stabilize and begin to go back to normal levels soon.
"It's all a matter of perspective. Our country is healing!" I would agree that we are making progress although much slower than it needs to be and still fraught with danger. A step in the right direction in November which will hopefully culminate in more change in November 2012 that will work. So I agree with you Hound, there is reason to be optimistic and we are slowly eliminating the cancer of Democrat rule of Congress and the White House.
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| Name: |
lotowner
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| Subject: |
Our Country
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Date:
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2/25/2011 11:15:49 AM
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Good Response to TH
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| Name: |
water_watcher
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| Subject: |
I disagree ... there is leadership by Obama
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Date:
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2/25/2011 11:25:12 AM
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He is encouraging and even organizing (back to his roots) demonstrations in states wanting to balance their budgets and cut workers, benefits and entitlements.
This is why our deficit has tripled since he took office ... and why he will not cut federal government and get rid of many of those "non- essential" workers.
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| Name: |
water_watcher
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| Subject: |
MM There you go again
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Date:
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2/25/2011 11:29:37 AM
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Giving Hound facts and pointing out her hypocracy. Shame on you.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Our Country
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Date:
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2/25/2011 12:24:21 PM
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She will respond with both barrels. However, I do agree with some of her points that there is incremental improvement in some areas but it could be way better and will be. BTW, GDP in Q4 has been restated to 2.8% versus the fabrication originally reported. Wonder why we don't wait until we actually know what the number is rather than throwing out phony numbers. This is not a new problem but someone needs to make a change in how we report GDP.
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I just don't believe in going around wringing my hands and saying "ain't it awful".
There isn't anything I have written that isn't based on fact. It is a matter of perspective. MM has a right to his opinions. I just happen to see it differently.
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| Name: |
alahusker
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| Subject: |
No, It ain't awful
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Date:
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2/25/2011 9:39:35 PM
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It's beautiful off of my deck, paid for, and I'm fully capable of providing for my family. But it is awful that the middle east is imploding and our economy will likely go into to total shock when oil hits $200/bl. And we still have a drilliing ban in the gulf and ANWAR. Why has no one submitted legislation that we 'drill here, everywhere and dammit, now?"
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
No, sort of....partially
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Date:
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2/25/2011 10:00:02 PM
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Hound, I tend to agree with you about not running around wringing our hands but you have to admit that some of what you wrote is not based on fact but on opinion. For example, the crack about Republicans balancing the budget on NPR and Planned Parenthood. That is factually incorrect since the vast majority of the cuts are in other areas. Second example, easier to defeat unions than foreign enemies. Those Governors trying to rein in unions have zero to do with national security issues associated with other countries. Those statements you made are not facts, they are opinionsthat are actually at odds with the facts. But again, many of the things you listed I agreed with, some with caveats.
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| Name: |
water_watcher
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| Subject: |
what I don't get
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Date:
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2/26/2011 6:25:35 AM
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is Hound refers to Cristie in NJ as "refreshing" ... and I agree ... but he is doing the same things as the govenors in WI and Ohio that she is critical of.
I look forward to the layoff noticies these workers will get ... if they want to protest rather than work ... OK that can be fixed and is soon to happen.
MM, you are from Pittsburgh and it reminds me of USX in the 80's asking the United Steel Workers for concessions so they could compete with foriegn imports of steel ... as part of that they would invest and moderize mills that would provide job security in to the future .... they refused ... one by one USX and others started shutting mills down. Many never reopened again. Many jobs were lost because the unions would not budge and the workers followed them in to losing their jobs.
So who does the unions really help?
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
I don't get it either
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Date:
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2/26/2011 8:52:02 AM
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I agree that it doesn't make sense that she likes and approves of what Christie is doing and but not the others. The only difference as far as I can tell is the response of the unions and the media coverage. If Christie does start to explore running for President the government media will turn on him with a vengeance and then maybe her persepctive will change. Who knows....
As for your recollections about the unions and SW Pennsylvania you are spot on. Happened at the same time with the coal mines, the only diffference is they could not move offshore. I was never a fan of unions before then but I detested them after that experience as I saw so many men lose their jobs when they didn't have to. I also remember these guys were making $18 per hour and would laugh about working 30 minutes, sleeping for 3 hours, working 30 minutes, sleeping for 3 hours and then they went home. I asked them once how they got away with it and they said they were in a union and that was their assigned job and the company could not make them do anything else. At the time I wondered how any company could make it with those kinds of rules. Answer....they can't.
What is probably even sadder is how many of the guys blamed the company entirely and did not see how their greed and the union's intractability played a large role in them losing their jobs. These companies were losing tens of millions of dollars a year and the unions had these guys convinced it was an accoundting sham and the companies were bluffing. Now we know why private sector unions are dying away and where they are still strong the economy is in a shambles.......
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
I don't get it either
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Date:
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2/26/2011 9:28:42 AM
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You know, I'm not a fan of Unions as they exist now. In my view, they have not served their members well and as you correctly point out, have ruined entire industries with their demands.
But, I go back to the reason that Unions came into being in the first place. To protect the workforce from the abuses of their employers. And collective bargaining is at the heart of that. I guess I'm afraid if we start crushing the unions, we are taking a step backward into the abuses of our past. I don't think it would happen over night, but in 20 years, where would we be?
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
No, sort of....partially
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Date:
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2/26/2011 9:31:07 AM
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Well, it is a FACT, not opinion, that the Republicans are going to unfund NPR and PP. I never said it was the ONLY cuts.
I admit to a certain amount of tongue in cheek about the crushing unions being easier than our enemies in the Middle East. But, you can't say that it is totally UNTRUE either.
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| Name: |
water_watcher
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| Subject: |
I don't get it either
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Date:
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2/26/2011 10:16:23 AM
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If that is the case ... why are so many non union workforces happy and no "abused" by companies? 1. there are many laws in place (probably too many) that prtect workers and 2. supply and demand. the best are in demand and if comapnies do not treat them well, they go elsewhere. what it boils down to is those that want and feel they need unions, know that they can not leave and do better than they have, so they want unions to protect what they have and fight to get them more. While that warker may feel it is valuable, ultimately it is not good for companies, states or the federal government since it raises costs and takes away the ability to run a business and government efficiently.
Unions no longer represent the majority of workers ... I do ask you want that 70% that is not unionized is satisfied and do not see the value of them.
I will share a quick story ... when I was in industry, we had a non union converting plant in Texas. All the factory workers had the same benefits as salaried employees and had the same perfornance review and increase guidelines based on the market and their individual performance reviews by their supervisors. All was working great for probably 80-90 percent ... but the minority that did not get a good increase (due to performance) were always trying to drum up union talk. One year, during a recession, increases were delayed for 6 months to save money. Well that gave an opportunity for the union ... they convinced the workers they would do better under them. We did what we could legally to show them a typical union plant wage scale and benefits. but the union still was voted in.
What ulitmately happpen was wages went down, benefits went down, they had guaranteed increase that everyone got no matter their performance ... and they got to pay unions dues for all that. The union did not last 2 years and the workers voted them out. To this day that operation is still non union.
They union knew they could not do the workers any better ... they knew what would be put in place would be the same as other union converting operations. But the union greed to get the dues had them lying to the employees.
Totally true story.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
No, sort of....partially
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Date:
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2/26/2011 11:02:45 AM
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C'mon Hound, you have to admit that the point of your post was that Republicans were unserious about cuts because they included ending funding for NPR and PP as if that constituted a large part of what they were cutting. Taking facts and spinning it a certain way is called opinion. We got the point you were making.
As for the other comment about unions while it may have been tongue in cheek I only pointed out the fallacy in tying those two very different issues together, even if it were a joke.
But I think I do agree with your main point that all the news is not bad and there is incremental improvement, in my view despite the current administration and not because of it (yes, I suspect you will disagree). But we are still in a very fragile place and we can fall back if we don't get control over the deficit. Sadly, Obama and the Dems in the Senate are just not serious about that issue as evidenced by his SOU speech and the budget he presented.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
I don't get it either
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Date:
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2/26/2011 4:46:23 PM
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I'd be the first to admit that I don't have much experience with Unions other than what I read in the paper. I once worked for a supermarket company that had a closed shop union and I was a "union member" , but that was many, many years ago.
I know that the trend in manufacturing has been to move away from Unions. I remember when I lived in Washington, they were trying to unionize the hotel staff workers (largely Latino) and had no success at all. Fear? Distrust? Or didn't they feel they needed a union? I don't know.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
No, sort of....partially
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Date:
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2/26/2011 4:54:10 PM
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Well, I would never say that I didn't think that Republicans are serious about cuts. I think they are very serious. Because if they don't make serious cuts, they are going to be in deep trouble with their constituency.
As far as Obama's cuts, he's not going to cut entitlement programs as deeply as Republicans want because that would not go over with his base. He submits his budget knowing full well that the Republicans are going to demand additional cuts -- and if they happen, he blames the Republicans and his base doesn't blame him. Boehner knows he won't get all the cuts he wants, but he acts tough and his base won 't blame him.
It's the nature of politics.
Frankly, I hate to see them cut funding for PP and NPR. I actually enjoyed listening to "All Things Considered" and "Science Monday" and sometimes at lunch time, they would have an author reading his book. Frankly, I don't think the federal cuts will mean much to NPR because only 2% of their funding is federal.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
No, sort of....partially
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Date:
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2/26/2011 8:31:33 PM
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I agree about some of it being about politics but there is a significant subset of GOP congressman that are serious about cutting the size and scope of the federal government. I suspect there will be a lot more in 2012, which is a good thing. After 2012 they are going to have to tackle entitlements or we will just be working around the edges rather than addressing the real problems. Given the negative reaction of the public to the government union behavior we just may be ready to take these programs on and fix them. But it will not happen with Obama in office. He needs to go in 2012.
As for PP you know what I think about them. As for NPR, if people like it so much they should financially support it. I personally have no use for NPR because it is so slanted but if others like that content then they should be willing to financially support it. Both these entities need to be off the federal teet...
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| Name: |
Feb
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| Subject: |
I disagree ... there is leadership by Obama
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Date:
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2/26/2011 10:35:06 PM
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Water Watcher, Do you know what the term Non-Essential Employees means in the Federal Govt? It does not mean they are not absolutely needed for the Dept of Defense or even law enforcement such as the border patrol. We do not send our soldiers, sailor and airmen out to forage for their supples, arms and food. A vast majority of the acquisition personnel and Depot operations in DoD are considered non-essential, but our military could not function without non-essential employees providing the guns and butter required. Do you want Social Security and the IRS to totally shut down with the exception of a few higher level employees. They could not do the job even if they worked seven days a week and 24 hours a day. I dare say the Federal Govt. would absolutely crumble if only essential employees came to work for a month. I think you are an attorney, and I ask you to simply think what laying off non-essential employees would do to the Federal Court System. You might also think about the Veterans Administration, FBI, DEA, ATF, and the list goes on.
All of the above is just a very small part of it.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
No, sort of....partially
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Date:
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2/27/2011 7:26:26 AM
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Well, I agree that NPR doesn't need to be federally funded. I've never noticed a particular "slant" to their programming in the programs I listened to, but then, I'm not likely to be influenced by just one opinion. I actually do think that they and PBS have a huge private funding following.
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I have no doubt that there is a sub-set of Congressman that want to reduce the size of government. I think they may have some success around the margins, but I don't think they will ultimately be successful. And I'm a person who actually believes the government could be streamlined and reduced.
In any given department, there are way too many layers, approval levels and too much duplication of efforts. And some of the processes are just pendantic, and serve no useful purpose. Even the computer systems within a Department are not compatible, which wastes a lot of communication time.
And in Washington, Congress is as much a part of the problem as it is a part of the solution. Once Congress gets interested in any issue, it takes weeks and weeks of effort to prepare testimony, respond to multiple inquiries (yes, when one Congressman gets interested in an issue, you can be sure at least 3 others will too). It can take on a life of it's own, because there is no such thing as a simple answer. And half the time, there is no issue at all, other than their lack of understanding about an issue or a process. So while people are working on the response to Congress, the work has to continue to be done. After the ports issue, we had to add 6 people to work on Committee to Foreign Investments in the US issues, which had formerly been handled by 2 people. And Congress seems to feel that every issue needs to be approved by no less than the Department Head (i.e., SecDEF or one of the political levels)
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| Name: |
water_watcher
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| Subject: |
I disagree ... there is leadership by Obama
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Date:
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2/27/2011 9:12:15 AM
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I do understand how the federal government uses the term "non-essential" ... my only point was, and continues to be, that we have a spending problem and not a tax problem. We need deeper cuts and need to take a hard look at total departments and if they are needed, as well as much deeper cuts in other areas to get in under control.
We can not just allow spending to increase and then say it needs to be balanced on the back of hard working tax payers.
Sorry to say, but for every government worker, it takes at least 5 average private sector jobs to pay for it ... so growing government is a drain on the economy. It is supported by facts.
I don't agree with SS ... at least what it has become today and how it has been managed ... so i do feel drastic changes are needed. I would much rather have a lower tax rate, much stricter requirements as to who gets benefits, then mandatory contributions and company match to an individual retirement type account. Rather than a ponzy scheme.
That way higher income individuals and those that do not need the benefits do not get it ... and you get people seeing their contributions and company match growing. they can still participate in 401K, 457 plans, etc
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
And
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Date:
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3/6/2011 4:44:11 PM
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Don't disagree with you and all the more reason why I believe in a limited role for the Federal government.
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