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| Name: |
GoneFishin
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| Subject: |
Flip Flop King
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Date:
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11/15/2010 4:41:20 PM
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On Sunday talk show Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell supported earmarks. On Monday in an abrupt reversal, he endorsed a moratorium on earmarks. Have to wonder what he dreamed about last night to come to the realization that the American peopl, me eincluded, are tired of earmarks??????? Interesting, the best they can do is a moratorium.
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| Name: |
MAJ USA RET
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| Subject: |
Flip Flop King
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Date:
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11/15/2010 5:15:49 PM
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Me thinks, perhaps, the old GOP regime misinterpreted what the American people want. They thought they were getting approval. They are wrong. The new Tea Party backed or influenced freshmen Republicans are not heeding the “Boy, this is how it’s done” indoctrination.
Earmarks are part of the spending (debt) problem. Incumbent Republicans are up to their gluteus maximae in bacon fat too… it's not just a DEM problem. Somebody… uh, say, perhaps us TAXPAYERS… have to pay for pork.
The handwriting is on the wall for McConnell too. He must have had a dream last night.
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| Name: |
Mulligan
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| Subject: |
Flip Flop King
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Date:
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11/15/2010 6:19:13 PM
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Just a reminder, but the King of Pork is Sen. Shelby (R) Alabama. Followed closely by Rep Mike Rogers, the unapologetic bail out, TARP, and cash for clunkers supporter. If you oppose earmarks, vote accordingly next time.
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| Name: |
MAJ USA RET
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| Subject: |
Flip Flop King
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Date:
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11/15/2010 7:01:59 PM
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Yes... and I sent them BOTH nasty, "take nothing for granted" letters immediately after the election.
I got a "no apologies here" letter today from "Bring-Home-the-Bacon" Shelby. Early in the letter he wrote:
"It is important to note that earmarks make up less than 1 percent of our federal budget. This funding will be spent, and I believe that elected officials, not unelected bureaucrats, should decide how to spend your hard earned dollars."
How arrogant of him to say that HE should decide how to spend our tax dollars!
It is my opinion that the one percent is a good start on decreasing the deficit. It isn't money in the bank. It is money borrowed from our children and grandchildren. If I was deep in debt... beyond my means... I would not borrow another one percent.
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| Name: |
4691
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| Subject: |
Flip Flop King -- maybe he sees the light
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Date:
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11/15/2010 8:05:33 PM
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"...This election the American people said enough is enough. That message was loud and clear. We Republicans would be mistaken if we misread these results as simply an embrace of the Republican party. This Election is a second chance. A second chance for Republicans to be what we said we were going to be..." - Marco Rubio, Senator Elect
Many of the Republicans left in office are part of the free-spending Bush era. Disgraceful spending! If they do not change now it is time to replace them, along with a lot more of the Democrats, in 2012. The American people voted for fiscal conservatism. That's it. Cut spending and balance the budget. Take the steps necessary to protect the future of this country. I think Rand Paul, on Face the Nation yesterday, made sense. I don't agree with all his 'suggestions", but most I do. Cut spending means cutting across the board...even military spending. If you disagree with that last statement you are not a fiscal conservative. We will see how many there really are in the new congress over the next year.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Flip Flop King
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Date:
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11/15/2010 9:12:40 PM
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In true Washington fashion, if they ban "earmarks", they'll just change what they call it. Maybe it will become "economic stimulus grants". Nothing ever really goes away; they just change the name or the way it is calculated.
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| Name: |
water_watcher
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| Subject: |
Flip Flop King
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Date:
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11/16/2010 6:43:52 AM
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agree ...
wasteful pork is bad, but it does not hurt the communities that get the funds for the projects, so there is a small benefit.
The real risk is when the earmarks are used to buy votes on larger appropriation bills that would have been voted against.
So getting earmarks out of the legislative process is a good thing even if the pork is still spent under another name.
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| Name: |
MAJ USA RET
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| Subject: |
Are You Saying Earmarks are Justified?
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Date:
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11/16/2010 8:41:18 AM
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If your premise is correct, please explain who pays for special indulgences for Alabama?
Does Alabama tax revenue pay for special shipments of pork to, say, California?
If Pelosi is more powerful than Rogers, then obviously San Francisco should get more pork than Auburn/Opelika – is that correct?
Are earmarks voted on, by line item, by the entire House of Representatives or just in the room where the deal is sealed?
Are pet projects executed by pet contractors?
What role do lobbyists play in the negotiation of earmarks?
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
There are bigger issues to address
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Date:
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11/16/2010 10:32:34 AM
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As much as I hate earmarks and think they should be banned altogether I do get a bit befuddled by all the attention they get. Frankly I would be happy to let them have 1% of the federal budget for pork projects if they would tackle entitlement spending in a meaningful way. Let's not squander valuable political capital fighting about these types of expenditures while we ignore the looming twin disasters of Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. And let me repeat, I hate earmarks as much as anyone, but the more time and energy we spend on these minor issues the less we spend on the really important stuff.
Job one for the House needs to be a repeal and replacement for Obamacare that they can send to the Senate. If the Senate fails to act then let them pay the price in 2012. And if they do by some miracle pass new legislation then Obama can veto, an override will fail and they can pay the price in 2012. Job two is to de-fund Obamacare so it cannot be implemented. Job three is to begin a meaningful discussion about entitlement spending, including the third rail of politics. Job four is to examine all these unelected, unconfirmed czars who seem to wield so much influence without any accountability to the American people. Job five is to get those federal agencies out of control back under control. First on my list would be USEPA and their fiat implementation of a carbon tax by rules and regulation rather than the legislative process. DHS would be next on my list to get them under control, especially TSA.
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| Name: |
4691
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| Subject: |
There are bigger issues to address
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Date:
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11/16/2010 2:26:00 PM
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Agree. Yet while I agree there are bigger fish to fry, this 1% (and one percent of trillions is not trivial) is a matter of principle. Did the republicans (and democrats) listen to the American voter? We shall see. The bigger issues will be debated for a long time before any action is taken, but this can be now.
MM - Why is defense spending not on your list of issues to address? At 24% it is the biggest spending issue. Approaching one trillion per year. I'd propose we can defend the United States and its interests adequately for about half that amount. In inflation adjusted dollars that is what it was 10 years ago.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
There are bigger issues to address
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Date:
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11/16/2010 3:27:06 PM
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In order to reduce defense spending, they will have to pull the troops home. Seriously, in addition to the cost of the "war" there are a lot of additional costs such as replacement of equipment, degradation of equipment, providing sevices for military members overseas (internet, phones, lavatories, mail service, food, logistic support, transportation, etc)
Additionally, they would have to ride herd on cost overruns and schedule increases for new equipment under development. It's disgraceful and other than an article every once in a while, no one sems to focus on what this is costing the US taxpayers. No one gets very excited about it and sees it as "business as usual". I worked in two different PM shops and was closely associated with a few others and it is quite shocking. No wonder the big defense companies stock does so well.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
There are bigger issues to address
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Date:
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11/16/2010 3:29:26 PM
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I think far bigger and more important than Obamacare is figuring out what they are going to do about the economy. Yes, it has some impact on the economy, but EVERYONE is Washington has got to wrap their minds around the economy before getting side tracked on other issues. In the overall scheme of things, Obamacare is a drop in the bucket.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
There are bigger issues to address
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Date:
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11/16/2010 3:29:54 PM
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I believe in a strong national defense and while I recognize that dollars don't necessarily equate to quality of our national defense I have seen the negative impact of cutting defense spending. Case in point is what Carter did to the military in the 1970's. Second case in point was Clinton reaping the end of Cold War windfall but not being smart about the change from a symmetric to an asymmetric enemy.
But as we speak there have been tons of spending cuts in the military budgets but in my view in all the wrong places. For example I think cutting missile defense budgets is the wrong way to go, particularly with rogue states like N. Korea and Iran having or trying to get nukes and developing long range missile capabilities. In the current budget, core defense spending is slated to be 3.3% of GDP by 2014 while today it's 3.8%. That is already a hefty cut (I say "cut" partially tongue in cheek because this reflects a modest growth in real dollars at about the rate of inflation) from a President that has increased our average annual deficit from $161B during the Bush years to over $1T in his first two years. He proposes to double the size of the the Department of Education, USEPA has doubled in the number of employees in just two years.
I guess my view is we may need to actually increase funding in certain areas related to defense.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Perhaps
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Date:
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11/16/2010 3:58:40 PM
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what needs to be done is a restratification of the defense budget. I think Gates has tried to do this, but gets a lot of pushback from Congress. I've never felt it was the right of Congress to insert money into the defense budget for things that the Secretary of Defense didn't put in.
Given that our students are on the lower end of advanced Math and Science in all industrialized countries, I really don't think we can afford to cut education. I"m glad they are plussing up education. I'm in favor of a longer school day and year round school, and a much more aggressive standard.
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| Name: |
Lifer
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| Subject: |
Perhaps
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Date:
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11/16/2010 7:31:07 PM
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The last time I saw the stats, federal government provides approximately 12% of the funds to any given school. That stat is several years old and obamanomics I'm sure has skewered it somewhat, but it is still a very low percentage of funding. Why then do they demand and GET 100% control over standards, procedures, curriculum, etc.? The key word is control. If I ruled the school I would just tell them no thanks. Keep the cash and leave control at the local level where the majority of funding for schools is obtained. I would bet big money that the costs of compliance with federal regulations is greater than the benifit when all is said and done. Maybe somebody has more current numbers on what percent comes from where in education budgets. My point howerver, is that nowhere else is a MINORITY shareholder, owner, partner or whatever given as much control with so little investment.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Perhaps
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Date:
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11/16/2010 8:36:27 PM
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There is no doubt that our education system needs an overhaul but more money is not the answer. Some of the worst schooll systems in America spend more money per student and get horrendous results. Likewise, there are other systems that spend much less and get much better results. Complex issue but more money thrown at the problem and more federal involvement is inarguably not the right answer. Long before federal involvement we had the best school system in the world. No longer.
My view is that teacher's unions are a bog part of the problem. So are inept school boards that create large numbers of positions for people who don't teach but do get in the way of good teachers. Merit pay, bonuses for excellent results, firing incompetent teachers, etc. would all go a long way. But not the whole answer when you have entire racial groups that do not value education and treat those that aspire to achieve as being "too white" or whatever.
Again, complex problem but money is definitely not the answer.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Then maybe
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Date:
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11/16/2010 8:38:59 PM
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the government should be contributing a much higher percentage to schools and have more control over the cirriculum.
It appears to me that the state and local governments are not doing a very good job on educating. I'm not in favor of the government taking over the management of individual schools, but when it becomes obvious that we are falling behind other industrialized countries, I think something major needs to be done. The Bush Administration was appalled by the state of education, and enacted "no child left behind" to try to fix it. Most educators agree that it was more detrimental than helpful, but at least they tried to do "something".
For me, education isn't really a political issue but a societal one. We can't afford to fall behind on technology, which has always been a major strength of our country. Our ability to innovate and develop.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Obamacare is not a drop in the bucket!
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Date:
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11/16/2010 8:43:50 PM
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As a small business owner I can tell you Obamacare is a huge portion of the bucket and not a drop. Getting the economy going means improving on the employment picture. As long as small businesses, the number one job creator in the economy, are uncertain about the future impact of Obamacare and are already experiencing significant additional costs for health care coverage they will not hire.
Study by Willis Corroon that I saw at a CEO conference projected Obamacare would add an additional 6% to 12% to your annual premium hike. As I stated in another post I had a 14% increase this year despite a loss ratio of 77 and the explanation was Obamacare. At this rate my health insurance costs will double every 4.5 years. I simply will not be able to offer coverage at some point in the next 3 to 4 years. Its either that or profits but not both. And if you tell me I have no choice I will simply shut it down and lay off 200 people. I am not going to personally guarantee my line of credit and work 60+ hours per week to run a non-profit. You think that's fanciful, just watch if this legislation is not repealed and replaced.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Then maybe
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Date:
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11/16/2010 8:46:52 PM
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You have proven my point about federal involvement with the example of no child left behind. Answer this for me. Why is it that when school systems were 100% funded and controlled by local government they were the best in the world and the more federal involvement over the years the worse they become. Explain that one to me......
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Perhaps
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Date:
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11/16/2010 8:49:59 PM
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Not the whole answer obviously, but if schools don't have money, they can't hire the best, most qualified teachers; they can't make investments in the technology that aids in teaching and they can't innovate. I agree that the teachers unions don't add a whole lot to the process.
I was talking about education to someone local who is very well educated. She pointed out the way one local HS has fallen behind. At one time the school was excellent and some on the current school board went there. The problem is that they can't seem to acknowledge that the school is no longer what it was, because they feel they got a "great" education when they went there. So I would say that they are not the most objective people when it comes to the standards of the school.
When I was in high school, the school board decided to embrace a cirriculm that embraced the "humanities" without much emphasis on math and science. This was during the period when education was emphasizing the "open school" or schools without walls. As a result, for 2 years, we had classes in "communications" (involving making collages) and "literature". I was lucky to be in an "advanced" program and was able to take classes in the local college to keep on track.
I guess my point is that the state and local government doesn't always know what is best for students.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Obamacare is not a drop in the bucket!
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Date:
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11/16/2010 8:55:07 PM
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I'm not saying that it doesn't need to be reworked. I'm just saying that they can block the implementation on the margins without devoting all of their time to repealing it. The focus needs to be on the economy. The economy is sucking the life blood out of the country. We owe too much money to foreign investors. If we can't fix that, then Obamacare isn't much going to matter. If the foreclosures continue, the banks are going to collapse.
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Then maybe
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Date:
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11/17/2010 8:35:42 AM
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When we were the "best" in the world, who were we being measured against? The fact remains that other industrialized countries have passed us by. We're no long the best in the world (if we ever were).
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Perhaps
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Date:
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11/17/2010 9:11:31 AM
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Hound, I don't disagree with your point about local boards but I am convinced there is a correlation between federal involvement and declining performance. It is too much of a coincidence and I am positive that money in and of itself is not even close to the answer. You talk about not having the money to hire good teachers and I say there is plenty of money, but it gets wasted on too much administration and with the stranglehold the unions have there is no way to get rid of bad teachers or provide financial incentives to good teachers. The system is broke and all the money in the world won't fix it.
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Obamacare is not a drop in the bucket!
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Date:
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11/17/2010 9:13:44 AM
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I don't disagree with your point but I do think repeal and replacement of Obamacare will go a lot further to helping improve the economy than you might think.
Out of curiosity, what exactly do you think Congress should do to improve the economy? You have heard my litany about not raising taxes on anyone, reducing regulation, reducing federal government spending, etc. What do you think they should do?
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| Name: |
Talullahhound
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| Subject: |
Obamacare is not a drop in the bucket!
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Date:
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11/17/2010 10:30:14 AM
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I think they have to make reducing the deficeit a priority. We need serious spending cuts. One area I think they need to look at is foreign spending. And I think they need to seriously look at the war in Afghanistan and do a serious cost/benefit analysis. I say that reluctantly, but I question Afghanistans commitment to keeping the Taliban at bay. I think before we commit any money to anything, we need to ask ourselves if we can afford it. We need to start thinking about what we need to do as a "world leader" and get serious about what we can afford.
I'm very skeptical about this package that Obama has laid on the table with India.
I don't know enough about financial markets to say what I think they should do about the banks and foreclosures. Obviously, there can't be any more bailouts.
I think there needs to be a massive PR campaign to make the American people really understand the bad position we are in. I don't think in the current political climate, people don't really understand that it is not just jobs or tax cuts, but this needs to be a national priority. The situation we are in is every bit as threatening as when we were attacked on 9/11, except this time, the enemy is ourselves. Tax cuts for small business, but no tax cuts for individuals.
I wish I was smart enough to know what else we should do. I guess I go back to what anyone would do if things were going south financially. You can't take anything off the table. Got to live within your means. Before we can have "entitlements" we've got to be in a position to afford them.
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| Name: |
Mack
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| Subject: |
Then maybe
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Date:
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11/17/2010 11:48:50 AM
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Do you think maybe Parental oversight and Parental involvement, or the lack thereof over time, has had any impact on education? Is public education just a tax paid babysitter?
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| Name: |
MartiniMan
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| Subject: |
Obamacare is not a drop in the bucket!
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Date:
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11/17/2010 2:53:24 PM
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Hound, I agree on deficit reduction and need for serious spending cuts. We might not agree on where the cuts need to be made because we have different priorities but agree on the goal. Foreign spending is one place to look but the mother lode is in Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. I generally don't like using our treasure to buy foreign allegiance because it usually doesn't work, at least for very long.
I agree on no more bailouts. Have been reading a lot on the foreclosure issue and it looks like it is going to get a whole lot worse before it gets really, really bad. I am with you in that I don't know what to do, just what not to do. We need to have banks and people pay the price for their decisions instead of promoting further bad behavior with bailouts. Only then will a sense of discipline return to that market.
As for the tax cuts you are on the right track but unfortunately what you are proposing cannot work. The vast majority of small businesses are partnerships or s-corporations taxed as a partnership. What that means is their business and personal taxes are one and the same. You simply cannot cut taxes for small business and not cut taxes on individuals. It is impossible. What can and should be done is to head off the massive tax increase on every single American that pays federal taxes that will begin in 2011. This should be made permanent although it is probably not going to get through the Senate as currently configured but who knows. A tax increase in our fragile environment has the very real possibility to send us back into a downward spiral. Sort of like throwing a drowning person and anvil instead of a life preserver.
I am also very worried about what the Fed is proposing with QE2. At its essence this is simply printing money. I know the Fed is concerned about deflation but there is no evidence that is happening and in fact it seems to me that the evidence for stagflation (stagnant economy and inflation) is growing. Combine that with higher interest rates and we have a repeat of the 1970's. Not what we need to have happen.
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